The trailhead is the Ruth Lake Trailhead off the Mirror Lake highway. This is at mile post 35, which is 35 miles from Kamas Utah on highway 150, or about 42 miles south of Evanston, Wyoming on highway 150. The trail will probably be very snowy until late June in most years.

The trailhead has a pit toilet and a large parking area on the side of the road.

Ruth Lake
From the trailhead, follow the trail as it heads west. It is well-traveled and easy to follow, complete with interpretive signs along the way to keep children interested. The trail gains a small bit of elevation, then meanders along near several marshes and wetlands. These are dotted with wildflowers in summer. The rocky flats make for a photogenic backdrop.

The prominent peak to the east (behind you on the trail) is Hayden Peak.

Once at the lake, there are many fantastic campsites, but if camping, be sure to follow the Forest Service rule and camp at least 200 feet away from water sources.

Visiting Hayden, Jewel, Cutthroat, Teal, and Naomi Lakes

To visit the additional lakes, continue on the trail along the north side of Ruth Lake. At the west side of the lake, a junction is reached with the left staying low and going around the lake. Go right instead, climbing a little in elevation to another junction in just a few minutes (0.15 of a mile).

At this second junction, go right. This is not an official trail but a well-worn social trail. In just a few minutes, it splits again. Right goes down to a pond, then you can continue cross-country east a few minutes to Naomi Lake, then south back to Ruth Lake. This makes for a very short loop.

If you go left, recommended, the well-worn social trail passes near Hayden Lake, though you will have to leave the trail to get to it, another small lake, and then descends to Jewel Lake. Jewel Lake is one of my favorites in the area and about a mile from Ruth Lake. There are a few excellent campsites on the northwest side of the lake.

Cutthroat and Teal Lakes
From Jewel Lake, there are two more commonly visited lakes, Cutthroat and Teal. Both of these lakes (as of 2025) have intermittent trails to them and require good navigation skills. GPS highly recommended. Diane and I both visited them separately, both found intermittent trails, but neither of us took the same path!

To Cutthroat Lake (about 0.8 miles from Jewel Lake)
From the west side of Jewel Lake, there are many social trails heading to various campsites and west toward Cutthroat Lake. Follow whichever one appears best heading west and a touch north. The goal is to reach a wide meadow area about 1/4 of a mile from Jewel Lake. There was a pretty good social trail once at the meadow. Follow the meadow area west to the base of the talus slopes, then follow the base of the talus slopes north to reach Cutthroat Lake.

From Cutthroat Lake to Teal Lake (about 0.7 miles from Cutthroat Lake to Teal Lake)
From Cutthroat Lake, head north, staying near the bottom of the talus field, but not directly next to it. This, to me, is a stunning section with great views and some lush meadow along the way. Again, intermittent game and social trails come and go, but if you head north, you should spot the large Teal Lake after about 3/4 of a mile.

Teal Lake Back to Jewel Lake
From Teal Lake, I would recommend returning to Cutthroat Lake and then to Jewel Lake via the same path you came from. I, as shown on the map, headed southeast to make a loop. This is a shorter route back to Jewel, but it doesn't have much of a trail that I could find, and the terrain makes navigation a little difficult.