Elk Peak is the eighth-highest summit in Idaho's Sawtooth Range, a serious backcountry objective reached via Elk Lake on the upper South Fork of the Payette River.
From Stanley, take ID-75 south 5 miles and turn west onto Redfish Lake Road; follow it 2 miles to the backpacker parking lot (or 2.5 miles to Redfish Lake Lodge). Follow the Redfish Creek Trail from the Redfish Inlet — reachable via a shuttle boat across the lake that saves about 5 miles of hiking — to access Elk Lake and the base of the peak's west ridge.