Redfish Lake

Redfish Lake is the largest lake in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and is a wonderful area for a multitude of recreational activities including fishing, boating, kayaking and swimming. Redfish Lake is located next to the beautiful Sawtooth Wilderness. Redfish Lake is at the headwaters of the Salmon River, whose waters flow north to meet the Snake River and continue to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. As late as the 1950's, more than 4,000 sockeye salmon made the annual 900-mile (1,440-km) pilgrimage from the ocean to their spawning grounds in the Sawtooth Valley. However, in recent years only between 2-20 have returned each year. In an effort to save the endangered fish, whose bright red color gave Redfish Lake its name, the National Marine Fisheries Service established a local hatchery. Since 1999, the lake has been stocked with sockeye salmon. Bull trout, steelhead and Chinook salmon can also be spotted in the area.

At a Glance