Trail Overview

Easy, 2-lane forest service road leaving Stanley Lake and ascending through the forest to various dispersed campgrounds. The Elk Mountain Hiking Trailhead also starts alongside the entrance to the forest service road. At the top, you will find a large turnaround area with beautiful views of the lake and Sawtooth Mountains.

Photos of Elk Mountain Trail

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Difficulty

Easy, wide 2 lane maintained forest service road, good for any vehicle. Whether this road is maintained during the winter months is unknown.

Technical Rating

Chelsey Hines

Jun 29, 2026

2012 RAM 2500

Open

Normal

The views on the way up the trail are amazing. One of the BEST dispersed campsites I’ve ever stayed at. Absolutely insane views of the sawtooth range. Highly highly recommend. The trail was short and easy. Probably don’t even need 4x4 to make it to the top. It was also very private. I recommend getting there as early in the day as you can, as it is first come first serve basis.

Steve Sharpe

Jul 23, 2025

2005 Jeep Wrangler

Open

NormalDusty

There appears to have been a pretty recent forest fire in the area .

Nathan Suitter

Jul 20, 2024

2023 Toyota Tacoma

Open

Normal

Trail was well groomed and easy to navigate. The smoke from recent fires do not impact the stunning views.

Dustin Sclafani

May 19, 2023

Obstructed

Deep Snow