Monarch Lakes Trail

Monarch Lakes Trail is an 8.4-mile round-trip out-and-back from the Sawtooth Trail parking area to the Monarch Lakes basin beneath Sawtooth Peak. The climb goes through forest and open meadows, crosses the old mining country of Chihuahua Bowl, then follows the upper side of Monarch Creek to the lakes. Allow about six hours and roughly 2,900 feet of climbing at high elevation. This is a full-day hike, not a casual lakeside stroll. Start early: the west-facing slopes get a lot of afternoon sun, and the park calls hiking above 7,500 feet strenuous.

Start at the north end of the north parking lot. On the first climb, look for a rock outcrop at a switchback about 0.3 mile in; it opens a view of a Monarch Creek waterfall. At roughly 0.7 mile, the Timber Gap path branches left. Stay right on the Monarch and Crystal Lakes route. The first stretch is steep and brushy, so expect to climb before you reach the meadows.

After about 1.3 miles, the grade eases across Groundhog Meadows, where yellow-bellied marmots live among the open slopes. A faint branch on the left climbs unstable talus; leave it alone and follow the main trail south. It rock-hops across Monarch Creek to a shady resting spot. Don't count on the stream as drinking water: the park can't guarantee its purity, so bring your own or treat it.

From the creek, switchbacks climb through red fir and western white pine to the ridge. The grade is still steady, but gaps in the trees open toward Timber Gap and down Mineral King valley; near the top, you can see toward the Eagle and Mosquito Lakes basin. You'll gain about 900 feet across this 1.7-mile stretch. The route then drops into the broad, avalanche-scoured Chihuahua Bowl. At about 3.5 miles, the Crystal Lake and Cobalt route branches right. Keep straight for Monarch Lakes.

Past the bowl, the trail crosses another ridge and returns to Monarch Creek among foxtail pines. Look back toward White Chief Canyon and across to Sawtooth Peak. The last traverse follows the rugged north side of the creek canyon, with open views and little shelter. Near the canyon head it crosses the braided creek again and reaches the lower lake basin. The mapped main trail line stops just short of the Lower Lake shoreline; the final short approach is not reliably mapped, so check the tread as you near the water.

Lower Monarch Lake sits beneath red, brown and orange metamorphic slopes of Mineral Peak. Waterfalls run down the granite headwall at the east end, while talus from Sawtooth Peak reaches the north shore. The park's 4.2-mile one-way figure is for the lake hike; the stored route follows the main corridor and is drawn once, with the 8.4-mile field value counting the return walk.

Chihuahua Bowl is more than a name on the map: hopeful miners chose it while searching for rich Mexican mineral deposits. Avalanches have kept the basin's slopes open, and the route crosses that exposed terrain between forested sections.

A rough use trail wraps around the north side of Lower Lake and climbs steeply about a quarter mile to Upper Lake. It's unmaintained and isn't included in the mapped route, so treat it as an optional extension and follow visible tread carefully. Bear food lockers and a wilderness toilet are at the lakes; overnight camping requires a wilderness permit. Pets and stock are prohibited on this trail. Mineral King Road closes for winter around mid-November and typically reopens in later spring, so check seasonal access before planning the drive.