Toxaway Lake and Snowyside Peak

Sand Mountain Pass was the first major pass along my Sawtooth Wilderness backpacking route. It divided the main loop from the resupply loop. It is 4 miles from Edna Lake (8,404 feet) over the pass (9,303 feet) to Toxaway Lake (8,323 feet), one of the most spectacular in the Sawtooths. Indeed, as seen above, the approach to Toxaway from the pass is breathtaking.

I started the day packing up my campsite on a high point between Vernon Lake and Edna Lake. I hit the trail around 8:15 a.m. and quickly reached Edna Lake. I knew I would return to its shore in a few days, so I paused for a quick look and then began an immediate climb. The trail remains about 60 feet above the lake and about 0.1 mile from the shore until it meets the trail to Sand Mountain Pass.

The trail turns away from the lake and climbs gradually, eventually reaching a drainage, which it follows for some distance. The pass is evident on the valley’s steep head wall, a depression straight ahead. It was a pleasant hike in the early morning light, though the sun was in my face (and the camera’s).

Sand Mountain Pass, as seen from its western approach