Rainbow Lakes Basin, Trinity Mountains, Idaho USA

Rainbow Lakes Basin, Trinity Mountains, Idaho USA

There are a half-dozen lakes in this area, all reachable after a fairly long backcountry drive on reasonably good roads.  From the trailhead at Big Trinity Lake, the hike is an easy 5 miles in.  In the early fall, we stayed undisturbed for 2 days at Heart Lake.  From there, we day-hiked to the other lakes.

All photographs taken with a Nikon Z5. 17-28mm f2.8.  No tripod, no HDR. 

Heart Lake, 8,100'
(There is only one camping spot on this lake.  The other lakes had more accommodations.)
Click for larger view

 

Trinity Lakes, Rainbow Basin area.
Big Trinity Lake is off the map, to the upper-left

 

Big Rainbow Lake, looking East

 

 

Big Rainbow Lake, North shore

Looking SW, approaching Sunset.  The mountains fell into shadow before the good light.
In the distance, to the left were large stands of pine killed by beetles (not photographed because all I carried was a wide-angle lens).  Somebody needs to figure-out this beetle problem.

Heart Lake, early morning

Above, note the unoccupied Trinity Lookout Station at the tippy-top, 9,450'.  We thought about visiting, but knowing nobody was home, we decided to stay in camp and nap.  In retrospect, we should have made the climb.

Big Rainbow Lake, looking East

Another view, Heart Lake

 

On the trail

 

 Directions:

1. From Boise, Idaho, travel 40 East to Mountain Home, Idaho
2. Take exit 95, State Highway 20, driving 35 miles to the Pine/Featherville turnoff, passing Anderson Dam Reservoir
   
3. Travel north on Forest Highway 61 for 29 miles
   Turn on Forest Service road 172
4. Fifteen miles northwest to FS road 129
   3 miles south to the Trinity Recreation Area.  Arrive a the Big Trinity Lake Campground trailhead.

Chamberlain Basin Lakes - White Cloud Mountains

Chamberlain Basin Lakes, White Cloud Mountains, Central Idaho, USA 2024

The Chamberlain Basin Lakes are in the Boulder White Cloud Mountain range, near Stanely, Idaho, along State Highway 75. 

Begin the hike at the Fourth of July Trail Head, 8,4000', hiking a leisurely first 4 miles to Washington Lake, 9,400'.  The members of the Geriatric Backpacking Association, which I am a proud founding member, often spend the first night at Washington.

Continue around a mountain ridge for another five miles, climbing up and over a glorious ridge.  As you approach the top of the pass, at 9,600', the view into the next valley is blocked.  Then surprisingly, Castle Peak rises majestically into view and it is amazing.  Everyone stops.  The peak lords over the entire valley.  From here, you drop steeply into the Chamberlain Basin.  

The trail is moderate and non-technical, but don't let the similar starting and final elevations of the two lakes fool you.  The climbs and drops make the hike tiring.  Although we usually take two days to hike in, the hike out can be done in one day.

Photography Notes

All photographs were taken with a Nikon Z5. 17-28mm f2.8.  Typically shooting around ISO 200 to 320, RAW.  Since the Nikon Z5's sensor always seems to make the sky baby-blue, I almost always shoot with a polarizer -- even though I am using a wide lens.  The second change I make is setting "Picture Control" to "Vivid" (or you might consider "Landscape").  Because I did not have a tripod, none of the photos are HDR.

At the pass, 9,600', looking North at Castle Peak. 12,000'.
The Chamberlain lakes are in the draw to the left of the mountain.
Click for larger view.

Base camp, Middle Chamberlain, 9,200'

The mountain is composed of granite and white sedimentary limestone (giving the characteristic "white-cloud" look). 

Middle Chamberlain Lake (base camp), Sunset

 

On the climb, well past Washington, you pass through a burn from 2010(?).  There are a few young trees.  Clearly, the fire was hot and fast.

Burn area on the climb up to Chamberlain pass, looking South

 From the base-camp, there are several upper lakes, this one being the largest.

Upper Chamberlain, 9,400'

The Trail from Above

To the left of Upper Chamberlain, is a ridge, and the other side is Washington Lake.  As the bird flies, it is less than a mile to our first lake.  This would be a scramble over an un-marked trail.  The Washington-side is steep and treacherous.  We have day-hiked the North-Easterly face, climbing about 75% the way to the top, but because of the steepness, and loose rock, we did not summit. 

Climbing this with a full pack would be a commitment and we can't imagine doing this, and yet we spoke to a Forest Service Ranger who goes this route twice a week, saving the five-mile hike around the ridge.  We think he is nuts.

But I do have a faint regret in not trying to climb Castle Peak.  My understanding the best ascent is on the right-face, grunting up the loose shaled limestone, at the center "V".  A steep climb, helmets and gloves required, but no other climbing apparatuses are needed.

Upper Chamberlain, outlet

In the upper lakes, good-sized trout swim leisurely by, close to shore.  And we saw several families of Mountain Goats who came lake-side in the mornings, looking for salt.  Elk and deer were seen.  Oddly, only a few birds, and no bats.

For fun, an evening black and white panorama-like shot:

Click for larger view