Middle Hansen Lake is an alpine lake

Alpine lake

Alpine lakes are classified as lakes or reservoirs at high altitudes, usually starting around 5,000 feet in elevation above sea level or above the tree line....

 in Custer County

Custer County, Idaho

Custer County is a rural mountain county located in the center of the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1881, it was named for the General Custer Mine, where gold was discovered five years earlier . The population was 4,342 at the 2000 census; it is estimated to have fallen to 4,166 by 2007...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located in the Sawtooth Mountains

Sawtooth Range (Idaho)

The Sawtooth Range is part of the Rocky Mountains, located within a few miles south of Stanley, Idaho, in the Western United States. Much of mountain range is within the Sawtooth Wilderness, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area...

 in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area

Sawtooth National Recreation Area

The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area located in central Idaho, within the Boise, Challis, and Sawtooth National Forests. The recreation area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and includes the Sawtooth Wilderness...

. The lake is approximately 8.7 miles (14 km) west of Stanley

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley is a city in Custer County, Idaho, United States. The population was 100 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Idaho is located in Stanley.-Geography:...

. Middle Hansen Lake is accessed via Sawtooth National Forest

Sawtooth National Forest

Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...

 trail 640 from the Stanley Lake

Stanley Lake

Stanley Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately west of Stanley, readily accessed via a spur road from State Highway 21...

 trailhead on forest service road 455 from State Highway 21

Idaho State Highway 21

Idaho State Highway 21 is the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, primarily a two-lane highway from Boise to Stanley. With two-thirds of its length in Boise County, it passes by historic Idaho City and the village of Lowman to the western edge of the Sawtooth Mountains, then along their northern...

.

Middle Hansen Lake is the largest of the three Hansen Lakes. Upper

Upper Hanson Lake

Upper Hansen Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately west of Stanley...

 and Lower

Lower Hanson Lake

Lower Hansen Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately west of Stanley...

 Hanson Lakes are a short distance uphill from Middle Hansen Lake. The stream that drains the Hanson Lakes goes over Bridal Veil Falls before flowing into Stanley Lake Creek.

See Also

• List of lakes of the Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho)
• Sawtooth National Forest
  Sawtooth National Forest
  Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...
  
  
• Sawtooth National Recreation Area
  Sawtooth National Recreation Area
  The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area located in central Idaho, within the Boise, Challis, and Sawtooth National Forests. The recreation area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and includes the Sawtooth Wilderness...
  
  
• Sawtooth Range (Idaho)
  Sawtooth Range (Idaho)
  The Sawtooth Range is part of the Rocky Mountains, located within a few miles south of Stanley, Idaho, in the Western United States. Much of mountain range is within the Sawtooth Wilderness, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area...