Northern Idaho

Seven Devils

Length: 15 one_way miles
Low Point: 6500'
High Point: 8520'
Season: Summer/Fall
Scenery: 4/5

Difficulty: 4/5

Submitted by: T. Simons_81

Directions

Heading south through Riggins, ID soon as you start to leave the town their is a sign on the left side of the highway saying Seven Devils turn right. So turn right and continue on pavement for a short while then the road turns to gravel and you stay on the main road until you reach Windy Saddle (the top) around 7600 ft. Here you will find a parking area and the trail head #124. Their is also a camping area down the road to the left.

Trail Description

Leaving from the trail head #124 you make your way swichbacking down and then back up through a few year old forest fire burn of charred trees. Continue on this trail you will see Devils Tooth towering above you in the distance and eventually pass over Sheep Creek and then continue through a nice forested area before you start climbing out and up through some rocky swichbacks. You will soon come across an intersection of three trails (their is a trail sign) but stay left, heading towards Hibbs Cow Camp just for a little bit when you come to a fork in the trail leave trail #124 and take the left trail #123 you will eventually pass Lily Pad Lake (name is appropriate), Basin Lake (hidden in the trees), & then Shelf Lake this is where I camped the first night (aprox. 9 miles from trail head beginning). Continue on the trail it becomes very scenic as you pass Gem Lake and start the swichbacks up the and over the shoulder of The He Devil 8300 ft. He Devil looks down on you from 9393 ft. very neat. The She Devil Peak sits just to the left. Continue on the trail for a great view of Sheep Lake once you descend to the lake continue around the lake to the right (their are camping sites on both ends) at the far end where I camped you are almost directly beneath The Tower of Babel. This is where trail #123 ends on the map, but continuing on the unmarked trail you pass a little pond almost connected to Sheep Lake continue around this and start climbing a rocky, scary, and dangerous trail up and over Goat Pass. As you go you have awesome views of He Devil, She Devil, and now you look down at Devils Tooth, and see Hells canyon off in the Distance. Once you get to Gun Sight Notch aprox. 8520 ft. your climbing up hill is over now you descend down back towards Seven Devils Lake and the campground near the trail head #124 but not before you look down on a beautiful lake named Mirror Lake. After this you start descending very steep and rapidly and then you've completed the 15 or so mile loop. Make sure you take a map or gps I also carried a great book about the areas trails called Hiking Idaho's Seven Devils by Gary D. Jones it comes with a great map of the whole area.

Comments

The weather in the Seven Devils is very unpredictable. The first day we were hiking it was hot then that night it got cold and their was a scary thunder & lighting storm the next night it got very cold and snowed into the next day and when we left the temp. was in the 30's and when we got to Riggins just down the mountain it was in the mid 60's. So come prepared, we went over Labor Day.
2009-01-22 23:04:14