Sawtooth Valley

The Sawtooth Valley is a valley in the Western United States, in Blaine and Custer counties of central Idaho. About long, it is located in Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) in the Sawtooth National Forest. It is surrounded by the Sawtooth Mountains to the west, White Cloud Mountains to the east, Salmon River Mountains to the north, and Boulder and Smoky Mountains to the south. The valley contains the headwaters of the Salmon River, the city of Stanley, and community of Sawtooth City. The entire length of the valley is traversed by Idaho State Highway 75, which is also known as the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. State Highway 75 enters the valley from the south at Galena Summit and exits to the north near Stanley. Highway 75 was formerly U.S. 93, which is now routed through Arco. Sawtooth Valley contains several large lakes in the SNRA, including Redfish, Alturas, Pettit, and Stanley lakes. Valley floor elevations range from just under near Stanley to over below Galena Summit. Elevations along the valley's borders reach at Castle Peak in the White Cloud Mountains to the east and at Thompson Peak in the Sawtooth Mountains to the west.