The trail immediately enters the forest, it being a nice singletrack that meanders through many cedar groves. Hiking is easy as the terrain is largely flat with a few ups and downs here and then, particularly in the first mile and just ahead of the lake. About 1.25 miles into the hike you’ll cross Ruby Creek, which is accomplished via a nice wooden bridge that is almost eaten up by an ocean of ferns.

Not far from the lake, you’ll stumble upon the remains of a trapper’s cabin (Coolin’s cabin?). There isn’t much left of it and the mosquites love it, so you might want to speed along to the lake, where a nice breeze keeps the beasties away. The beach is prettily graveled and begs for a swim, an urge Naughty could not resist. The views across the lake are excellent, with Plowboy Mountain to the south and Navigation Campground straight across.

Alternate Routes

• From Upper Priest Lake the trail continues south, eventually turning into trail #58, which ends at Lion Head Campground
• You can connect to the American Falls trail on the northern end, but that entails hiking on a forest road for several miles
• You could turn this into a one-way by combining it with trail #58, but it makes for a rather lengthy shuttle drive

Things to Consider

• The trail, as well as #58, is part of the Pacific Northwest Trail and the Idaho State Centennial Trail