Idaho trails · Benedict

Benedict

A 7.7-mile out-and-back in Idaho, with 1,850 ft of climbing. Reaches Benedict Lake and other lake/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

7.7 mi

Elevation gain

1,850 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

24%

Steepest mile

+415 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

1.4 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Managed by

U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Benedict Lake (lake)
Rock Slide Lake (lake)
Smith Falls (waterfall)
Lake Ingeborg (lake)
Spangle Lake (lake)
Little Spangle Lake (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:24 a.m., the sun rises at 7:53 a.m. and sets at 6:58 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:27 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 05 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 15.3-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 32 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:25 p.m. — 3 h 33 min before sunset.