Vernon 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 Boise County

Boise County, Idaho

Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census; it was estimated at 7,571 in 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 high 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 17 miles (27.4 km) southwest 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:...

 and 14.5 miles (23.3 km) southeast of Grandjean. Located in the remote central Sawtooth Wilderness

Sawtooth Wilderness

The Sawtooth Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Wilderness was upgraded in 1972 from "primitive area" status, affording greater protections of the habitat...

, Vernon Lake can be reached by trails from many directions, including the Sawtooth Valley (east), Grandjean (northwest), Redfish Lake (north), and Atlanta (south).

Vernon Lake is in a basin with several other lakes, including Edna Lake

Edna Lake

Edna Lake is an alpine lake in Boise County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately southwest of Stanley and southeast of Grandjean...

 and Virginia Lake

Virginia Lake (Sawtooth Wilderness)

Virginia Lake is an alpine lake in Boise County, Idaho, United States, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately southwest of Stanley and southeast of Grandjean...

 along the spine of the Sawtooths just below the border of Boise, Custer

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...

, and Elmore

Elmore County, Idaho

Elmore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 27,038, down 7.2% from 29,130 in 2000. The largest city and county seat is Mountain Home....

 counties.

Vernon Lake is in the Sawtooth Wilderness

Sawtooth Wilderness

The Sawtooth Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Wilderness was upgraded in 1972 from "primitive area" status, affording greater protections of the habitat...

 and wilderness permit can be obtained at trailheads.

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...