You are here

Trail difficulty
Green
Elevation Gain
746.00 ft (227.38 m)
Trail type
Loop
Distance
11.20 mi (18.02 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The Stanley Lake Trailhead is the jumping-off point for this great mountain bike ride that circumnavigates Elk Mountain.  Lady Face Falls is the first of several hikes up the Stanley Lake Canyon (which is also open to mountain bikes and can be combined with this adventure). The Elk Mountain Ride also uses portions of the Elk Meadow Trail out Elk Creek, the next major drainage to the north.

Elk Mountain Loop

A moderate but non-technical dirt road climb that accesses several miles of flowing singletrack and outstanding wildflower meadows make this one of the best mountain bike rides in the Sawtooths. Bikers looking for an extra workout can easily add an additional 500 feet of climbing up the old mining roads to the Sawtooth Overlook for a great view across Stanley Lake into the north couloirs of McGown Peak. In June the yellow blooms of arrowleaf balsamroot often decorate the south slopes of the initial climb. The loop is best ridden counter-clockwise. Note that portions of the trail along Elk Meadow can be very wet through June, so please avoid the trail in late spring and early summer.

Hiking distances and ascents are as follows:

• Elk Mountain Loop: 11.2 miles, 746 feet.
• Elk Mountain mining road extension adds: 2.8 miles, 500 feet.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Smooth flowy singletrack. Wildflower meadow. Moderate length. Loop

Cons

Includes dirt roads. Rocky section at the start. Can be muddy. Motorized use.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Trailhead Elevation

6,537.00 ft (1,992.48 m)

Features

Mine
Wildflowers

Suitable for

Hiking
Horseback

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment?
Sign In and share them.

Our mission is to inspire adventure with beautiful, comprehensive and waterproof map-based guidebooks.  Owner, publisher, and photographer Matt Leidecker, grew up exploring and guiding on the rivers in central Idaho.  His award winning Middle Fork of the Salmon River – A Comprehensive Guide is the standard by which other river guidebooks are measured.  Printed on virtually indestructible YUPO paper, IRP guides are truly unique all-in-one resources for adventure.  Each book is loaded with full-color maps, stunning photographs, and information on the history, geology, and wildflowers.  Visit Idaho River Publications to explore our guidebooks to the Rogue River in Oregon and the mountains of Central Idaho.

More content from Idaho River Publications