Palisades Creek Trail is located about
50 miles southeast of Idaho Falls and about 60 miles west
of Jackson Hole WY in Swan Valley Idaho, the 6.2 mile hike to Upper
Palisades Lake (elevation 6800 feet) provide some of the
best mountain views in the Swan Valley region. Palisades
Creek
Trail is
well
maintained
and can be used only by hikers, backpackers or horses as
it is in the Palisades wilderness study area. If you choose
to hike up to Upper Palisades Lake, 2 miles above
Lower Palisades Lake you have to leave Palisades Creek trail
and turn up Waterfall Canyon and it is just a short distance
up Waterfall Canyon.
The trail up to Upper Palisades Lakes is one of the most popular trails in eastern Idaho because the lake offers excellent fishing, gorgeous mountain scenery, good wildlife viewing possibilities, easy hiking and a Forest Service campground at the entrance of the canyon. Many bridges cross the creek and make the route easier for hikers and horseback riders to traverse the canyon. If you wish to avoid the crowds try to go during the week or in spring or fall, it is much more quiet then. It is also a great place for a cross-country ski in the winter but wait until there is good snow coverage as there are many sharp rocks in the trail to cover.
Getting there
From Idaho Falls drive southeast from Swan Valley on U.S. Highway 26 to Irwin.
Turn left on the Palisades Creek Road at the sign for Palisades Creek Campground.
Follow this road for 1.5 miles. Just before the campground and the bridge that
crosses the creek is a parking area. On the other side of the creek to the
right is a horse staging area. The new trailhead is at the horse staging area.
If you are coming from the Wyoming side, Palisades Creek Road is about 2 miles
north of Palisades reservoir dam on the right.
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