Outbound Collective logo

Hike to Island Lake

Kamas, Utah

5.0/5
based on 3 reviews

Details

Distance

9 miles

Elevation Gain

1000 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Eric Bennett

Island Lake can make for a full day of adventure packed with beautiful scenery (alpine lake, wildflowers, etc.). It doesn't hurt that there's awesome cliff jumping at the lake as well.

There are many lakes in this area, but Island Lake is the only one with epic cliff jumping. You can camp anywhere around the lake and campfires are permitted.

The cliff is best to jump off mid summer when the water is the warmest, but it's always pretty cold. The cliffs are about 30-50 feet tall. It's only about a 2.5 mile hike from the trailhead and is mostly flat, except for a few switchbacks at the end to get up to the lake.

This is an awesome weekend adventure with all your friends.

Read More

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin
Photography
Swimming
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Groups
Lake
Picnic Area
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Cliff Jumping
Swimming Hole

Hike to Island Lake Reviews

Went up and stayed the night at the lake. It was pretty low key. We went Sunday before the 4th of July. There were some other folks there. But, it never got distracting or took anything away from the experience. Stars at night were insanely awesome and the spots to camp around the lake were plentiful. No regrets at all. But, as the other reviews say, this hike is more than 3 miles in and out. I used my gps and it's more like 4-5 in and out. 8-10 round trip. Taking between 2 and 2 1/2 hours for me to get one way. Definitely still worth the trek. Advise: eat some breakfast and drink a lot of water before hiking out. The hike out is much more difficult than the hike in. Also, make sure that you stop on the way up and get a recreation pass if you plan on leaving your car parked overnight. You can pick one up from the ranger's station in Kamas, or there are a couple of "kiosks" on the side of the road on the way up the mountain.

This was one of the most exciting backpacking trips I have been on. Our group took an inflatable raft and spend the night on the island in the lake. The only thing was the hike felt like more than three miles. It's probably more like 4 or 5 miles. When it seemed long I stated counting paces and the mile markers ended up being pretty inaccurate. That being said it was still a great hike.

Hiked here to cliff jump and was completely satisfied! Cliffs start out at 5 feet to 40 feet (estimate)

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Backpack to Island Lake

Duck Lake to Marjorie Lake Loop in the Uintas

Ibantik Lake via Crystal Lake Trailhead

Hike to Weir Lake

Camp at Fire Lake

Camp and Climb at Cliff Lake