Amethyst Lake is a twelve mile round-trip hike in the Uinta Mountains accessed from Christmas Meadows Trailhead, just off the Mirror Lake Highway. The trail is level for the first three miles as it follows along Stillwater Fork. There are a lot of moose in the area, and I had to make a detour around some standing in the trail the first time I visited. After about three miles you enter the High Uintas Wilderness Area. Just after the sign welcoming you into the Wilderness Area, the trail will fork. Turn left to go to Amethyst Lake.
The trail will begin an uphill climb as it follows along Ostler Fork. You will pass a couple pleasant meadows before reaching Amethyst Lake. Amethyst Lake is a large, beautiful lake located at the top of the basin. The first time I visited in September of 2008, I decided to visit several other lakes on my way back down. I first went to a large pond located about a half-mile below Amethyst Lake. From here it is about a quarter mile over to Ostler Lake. From Ostler Lake it was about a half-mile and a steep drop to get to Toomset Lake. From Toomset I bushwacked my way to Salamander Lake. I got a little off course in the process, but I like roaming through un-trailed forest once in a while. Salamander is probably not worth going out of your way for. Sadly, I was unable to find any salamanders. As I was visiting the last week of September, I had the entire place to myself (aside from one hunter I bumped into near the trailhead).
I visited again in August of 2017 with a backpack. There were a lot more people there in August. We set up camp along the west side of the lake, and took a hike to the very southern end of the lake where there was a small pond with snow melting into it. There was also a large grassy slope behind it. I would definitely recommend visiting this area if you have time. The next day we hiked to Ostler Lake, getting a little off course along the way. There's no clear trail to Ostler Lake, so you will need to watch your map carefully. After spending the day at Ostler, we hiked back up to Amethyst. To get some new scenery, we got off the main trail and walked into the forest to follow Ostler Fork up to Amethyst Lake. It was nice a peaceful walk. We ended up seeing a large waterfall and a nudist along the way. After one more night at Amethyst we returned to the trailhead.
