Conditions Right Now
Use sunset as your turnaround alarm.
Why Hike This
Amethyst is a proper cirque lake, 43.7 acres and 59 feet deep at 10,750 feet, which puts it in a different class from the roadside lakes off the highway. Getting there means turning east on Christmas Meadows Road, 0.6 miles south of the Bear River Ranger Station, then four miles in to a trailhead with vault toilets and horse parking. You follow the Stillwater Trail up the valley before the Amethyst Lake Trail branches off. The lake holds brook trout.
The Trail
Gem of a cirque lake below Ostler Peak.
Pack Loadout (Hard)
3 liters water or hydration pack, hiking boots, layers, headlamp, trail mix and jerky, trekking poles, first-aid kit.
Getting There
Make it a weekend: Uinta Backcountry Lakes (Fishing, 5 mi) · Mirror Lake (Uintas) (Fishing, 8 mi) · Mirror Lake Campground (Camping, 8 mi) · Moosehorn Campground (Camping, 9 mi)
More hikes nearby: Ruth Lake (Hike, 7 mi) · Lofty Lake Loop (Hike, 7 mi) · Fehr Lake Trail (Hike, 8 mi) · Bald Mountain (Hike, 9 mi)
Quick Answers
- How long is the Amethyst Lake hike?
- 11.4 miles round trip with 2001 feet of elevation gain.
- How hard is Amethyst Lake?
- Hard. Kid rating: 1 out of 5.
- When should I hike Amethyst Lake?
- Best season: July-Sept.
- Why hike Amethyst Lake?
- Because it is the payoff at the head of the Stillwater drainage, a 43.7 acre lake in a basin at 10,750 feet, 59 feet deep, with brook trout in it. Reaching it costs 11.4 miles and 2,001 feet of climbing, which is why a lot of people turn it into an overnight from Christmas Meadows.