Wyoming trails · Ethel Lake
Ethel Lake
A 4.5-mile out-and-back in Wyoming, with 1,031 ft of climbing. Reaches Eds Lake and other lake/waterfall destinations. Managed by USFS 040307.
Length
4.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,031 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
27%
Steepest mile
+410 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.3 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
NATIVE MATERIAL
Bikes
no
Horses
yes
Managed by
USFS 040307
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Eds Lake (lake)
- Macs Lake (lake)
- Lake Ethel (lake)
- Perry Lake (lake)
- Chris Lake (lake)
- North Fork Falls (waterfall)
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:01 a.m., the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. and sets at 6:37 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:05 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 07 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.9-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 21 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:50 a.m. — 6 h 47 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Boulder Canyon — 4.7 mi
- Hay Pass Trail — 4.8 mi
- Lowline — 14.4 mi
- Seneca Lake — 14.5 mi