Looking down the South Fork of the Payette River canyon across the grassy banks of Elk Lake.
Granite spires and faces along the north side of the South Fork of the Payette Trail upstream of Elk Lake.
Glacial polished granite slabs flank the trail upstream from Elk Lake.
Western spirea, hardhack (Spiraea douglasii) Decisuous shrum, 1 - 2.5 m in height. Simple pinnate leaves that alternate on the stems.
Smith Falls tumbles over a granite slab just before the turnoff to Benedict Lake.
Trail sign at the Benedict Lake and South Fork of the Payette canyon junction.
Looking down canyon from the junction above Smith Falls.
A view of Peak 9,610 from a clearing along the Benedict Lake Trail.
Looking downcanyon at Peak 9,438 from the Benedict Lake Trail.
Granite polished slabs dominate the hike up into the Benedict, Three Island, and Slide Rock basins.
Tweedy's snowflower (Chionophila tweedyi).
Benedict Creek pours over granite slabs.
More granite slabs en route to Benedict Lake.
Peak 9,610 seen from near the Bendict Lake Trail.
Mount Everly (9,852') stands high above glacially polished slabs of granite.
Benedict Creek pours over granite slabs.
The grassy shoreline of Benedict Lake is a little anticlimatic after climbing steeply into the basin.
The east face of Plummer Peak (9,978') stands above Three Island Lake.
The east face of Plummer Peak (9,978').
Three Island Lake and the headwaters of the South Fork of the Payette River from the summit of Plummer Peak.
Explorer's gentian (Gentiana calycosa).
Small waterfall next to the trail en route to Rock Slide Lake.
Looking across Rock Slide Lake to the Rakers in the distance.