Prairie Lakes Loop – Smoky Mountains

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Prairie Lakes LooP – smoky mountains In October, 2015 I did a day hike to the last group of lakes that I hadn’t been to in the Smoky Mountains. The Smoky Mountains are north of Ketchum, ID approximately 20 miles. I had previously hiked two miles into Baker Lake with my family back in 2006 while camping at Wood River Campground. In 2010 I hiked the Norton Lakes loop on a daddy-daughter overnighter which also included Big Lost & Smoky Lakes. This area has been a fun area for me to take the kids. See 2010 Norton Lakes article: http://jasonbackcountry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NortonLakes.pdf A view west toward Miner Lake from Norton Peak The 10 mile roundtrip Prairie Lakes loop that I hiked includes a few Prairie Lakes/ponds and Miner Lake. I never fished any of these lakes but I suspect Miner Lake would be your best bet since it looked deeper. The Prairie Lakes seemed pretty shallow around the edges for the most part. Mill Lake didn’t seem like a good fishing destination to me and perhaps is too shallow for fish. Norton Lakes on a previous trip mentioned above had excellent fishing for average Cutthroat. I made a deviation from the loop at Miner Lake. Instead of heading back down the canyon on the trail, I hiked a trail up to the divide to get a view of Norton Lakes. I then hiked cross-country to Norton Peak from the pass and then dropped into the basin above Mill Lake. I caught the trail from Mill Lake down to the road and then walked up the road to get back to the trailhead where I parked my truck. The views weren’t as spectacular as some of the other nearby prominent peaks in the area such as the Sawtooths, White clouds & Pioneers but it was a great place to get a good view of the Smoky Mountains. I’ve found the Smoky Mountains to be a great place to take kids. The trails are little easier and the destinations shorter than the nearby ranges mentioned above. Hiking up the canyon toward Prairie Lakes Two of the Prairie Lakes Miner Lake A view of Norton Lakes from the pass Hiking up to Norton Peak from the pass A view of the Basin above Mill Lake A view of Hyndman Peak in the Pioneer Range Pond above Mill Lake Mostly dry Mill Lake A trip to Baker Lake in 2006 with the family .

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Idaho Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
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