Alpine Way
Alpine Way is a 17.2 miles trail in Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, snowmobile and snowcoach or snowcat. It enters Sawtooth Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Sawtooth National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 44.1733, -114.9222 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 44.1893, -115.0317 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 5 segments.
The trail
| Length | 17.2 miles |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 7528 |
| Forest | Sawtooth National Forest (unit 0414) |
| States | Idaho |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
| Mountain biking | Allowed year-round |
| Snowmobile | Allowed year-round |
| Snowcoach or snowcat | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Sawtooth Wilderness WildernessFS · about 79% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
No season published · listed none | 0.1 mi |
No season published | 0.1 mi |
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- WildfireCrooked
35 mi from the trail midpoint · 10,081 acres · 97% contained
- WildfireBuckhorn
43 mi from the trail midpoint · 157 acres · 46% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Alpine Way?
17.2 miles, the sum of the 5 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Sawtooth National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Alpine Way?
hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, snowmobile and snowcoach or snowcat. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Alpine Way start?
The line begins at 44.1733, -114.9222 and ends at 44.1893, -115.0317. The nearest recorded trailhead is Alpine Way Trailhead, 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Alpine Way in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Sawtooth Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Sawtooth Wilderness Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Alpine Way?
Sunny Gulch Campground (0.7 mi), Iron Creek Campground (0.8 mi) and Mountain View Campground (0.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Alpine Way?
Trail class 2, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Alpine Way?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Alpine Way?
Sawtooth National Forest, Forest Service unit 0414. The trail is in Idaho.
Is there a fire near the Alpine Way?
2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Crooked at 35 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 5 segments named ALPINE WAY in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0414. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.