Idaho trails · Black Lake - Horse Heaven
Black Lake - Horse Heaven
A 8.7-mile out-and-back in Idaho, with 1,849 ft of climbing. Reaches Horse Heaven and other lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 2,292 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Horse Heaven (summit)
- Purgatory Saddle (pass)
- Stevens Saddle (pass)
- Emerald Lake (lake)
- Black Lake (lake)
Getting there
Black Lake - Horse Heaven access — parking nearby. 45.19056, -116.56010 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:31 a.m., the sun rises at 8:00 a.m. and sets at 7:03 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:32 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 17.4-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 18 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:19 p.m. — 2 h 44 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Black Lake - Horse Heaven + Six Lakes Basin + Horse Pasture Basin — 9.7 mi loop, 2,520 ft gain
- Black Lake - Horse Heaven + Casey Mountain + Six Lakes Basin — 16.8 mi loop, 6,129 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Crestline — 28.6 mi