The Kidney Lakes area is a great place to stop and spend some time along the Highline Trail. If coming from the east, these lakes will be the last major lakes you'll see on the trail for the next 15 miles until you near Tungsten Pass. The area is surrounded by timber with open meadows around the lakes. The further you move off of the Highline Trail the fewer people you will see, so head north of the Kidney Lakes if you want more seclusion. The entire area offers great camping locations though.

 

One of the reasons we love the Kidney Lakes area is the number of lakes in this little basin. Using the Kidney Lakes as a staging location, you can hike to multiple lakes in an hour or two. The basin itself is fairly remote and offers spectacular views, wonderful fishing, and few people. It's also one of the few locations along the trail where you can see bighorn sheep. They can often be seen above Davis Lake. 

​

​

Camping Potential - 3

Water Availability - 3

Difficulty - 2

Scenery - 2

​

​