Palisades Creek • Hike • Idaho • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Aug 22 2024

Nobody01

Routes 6
Photos 397
Triplogs 35

male

Joined Sep 13 2019

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Backpack		Aug 22 2024
		Nobody01 • Triplogs 35

Backpack	14.75 Miles	1,750 AEG

Backpack	14.75 Miles	1 Day
	1,750 ft AEG

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After wrapping up some business in town, I had a day to spare and wanted to get back into the woods. Alaska Basin was on my list, but I wasn’t up for a big hike, so I decided to repeat a trip from last year, this time with a friend.

My friend, who recently moved to Idaho Falls, wanted a short backpacking trip with “cool” views. The Upper and Lower Palisades Lakes seemed perfect. The trail conditions were mostly unchanged from my last visit, with the majority of traffic heading to the lower lake. This time, we aimed for the upper lake, which I hadn’t seen in 2023.

We reached the upper lake in under 4.5 hours and found a great campsite tucked away from the lake. We enjoyed beautiful views, perfect temperatures, and a cozy night’s rest. There were options to extend the hike and explore more, but we kept it simple due to my friend’s sore feet.

Going forward, I’ll likely end my summers in Idaho—there’s so much to explore. Next year, I hope to tackle Alaska Basin and a bigger loop in the White Clouds.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
This area seems to see a good amount of moisture; not so much this year.

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1 archive

Jul 12 2023

Nobody01

Routes 6
Photos 397
Triplogs 35

male

Joined Sep 13 2019

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Hiking		Jul 12 2023
		Nobody01 • Triplogs 35

Hiking

Hiking

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

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no partners

My hike began midday at the Palisades Creek Trailhead. This trailhead is served by two parking lots; the overflow lot is the first parking area that you drive thru, followed by the official parking lot directly adjacent to the trailhead. Both parking lots were decently full but most of the traffic and cars were in the main parking lot adjacent the trailhead.

As I began my hike from the main parking lot I immediately crossed the creek via a wooden bridge; this led me to a junction where the trail continues northeast or southwest. Southwest (or right at the junction) will take you back to the Palisades Creek Campground and overflow parking lot, and northeast (to the left of the junction) continues on to lower Palisades Lake. I continued left towards the lake.

As I made my way up the trail I was treated with excellent tread which I would describe as national park level. The vegetation along the trail is mixed with lots of oak and maple but mostly conifer trees. Some wildflowers where noted but I suspect that prime season is a few weeks away. Woods Rose and Yellow Columbine seemed to be the most common of the bunch and were also the only flowers I could identify. Absolutely beautiful scenery and was quite a treat to hike thru the area; remind me of portions of the middle fork of the Gila Wilderness but with more conifer trees (and less poison ivy).

As I continued on up the canyon I reached the second creek crossing at about what I estimate as being one mile from the trailhead. Like the first crossing this is over a wide wooden bridge; this takes you along the west side of Palisades Creek for what I estimate is a couple of miles and is a bit more open and out of the shade than the east of the creek. This was a nice change as the views up and down the canyon are great and it's nice to see the cascades of the creek below. Before reaching the third crossing, there are a few areas I noted as being good stopping points to either take a break or admire the views of the canyon. These areas are immediately adjacent the trail and you wont miss them. The third, fourth, and fifth crossings come up on you within quick succession of one another and are all over wooden bridges. You might encounter some mud on your hike but you can keep your feet dry, the creek is moving swiftly and would not be fun to cross otherwise.

The elevation gain going up to the lake is gradual. You don’t really notice the gain and there is are not any notable steep sections, the final climb up to the lake is via a short stretch of switchbacks which is maybe 100-150 foot gain from the fifth crossing.

After the climb from the fifth crossing you arrive at a campground; I wasn’t sure of the rules of where you can/can’t camp so I never bothered investigating. Considering there is an established area for backcountry camping I believe that disbursed camping is likely prohibited or at the very least discouraged against. I had originally planned this a backpack but due to time constraints and other commitments I will have to sideline that trip for another time.

After the campground it’s a short hike down to the lake where you reach the sixth and final crossing of the creek before you arrive at the southern end of the lake. From here the trail continues northeast along the western side of the lake and further up the canyon. I would have loved to continue on further but this was my stopping point. After a half hour break and a light snack, I turned around to head back down to the trailhead.

Overall I am impressed with the area and will definitely be returning; hopefully this year and soon; but more than likely next summer. Although this is a popular area I think I would recommend it depending on what your plan is. The drive from Idaho Falls into Swan Valley is an absolute treat and is pretty short at a little more than one hour away one way. Probably not a good spot for a backpack on the weekend but worth a visit anytime of the week if you’re just going to do a day hike. Not sure on stats as I never hit record on my GPS for this one; I estimated at around 9-10 miles round trip; and about 1,000 feet of gain up to the lake.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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1 archive

Aug 22 2022

Pivo

Guides 2
Routes 512
Photos 5,579
Triplogs 4,277

69 male

Joined Mar 01 2009
Aztec, NM

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Palisades Creek

Eastern, ID

Hiking		Aug 22 2022
		Pivo • Triplogs 4,277

Hiking	8.94 Miles	936 AEG

Hiking	8.94 Miles	3 Hrs 40 Mns		2.64 mph
	936 ft AEG	17 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

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MyRudy

Beautiful trail with great canopy coverage for most of the trail.
Very wet and green too , but no mushrooms

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Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Upper Palisades Lake

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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1 archive

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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