The Elephant's Perch Rock Climbing

From a climber's perspective, the Elephant's Perch is possibly Idaho's best piece of stone. Not just because of the quality lines and solid granite though, it's the whole experience.

You start with a nice, 5-mile boat ride across Redfish Lake. As the miles pass on the water, you'll be glad you paid the $10 for the ride. From the far end of the lake it's a steep and pristine 3-mile hike to the camping below the Perch. If you're out of shape, you'll know it in the last mile.

It would be difficult to overstate the beauty of this camp. You're between the lip of the hanging valley and the first of the Saddleback Lakes, with the Elephant's Perch on one side and the multi-towered massif of the Goat's Perch on the other. Great stuff by any standard. Trout live in the Saddleback Lakes, so get a license and pack a rod if you'll be taking any rest days.

The Perch itself is a photogenic, golden granite wall with vertical fractures covering its flanks. It soars roughly 1000 feet for much of its width and hosts around 30 routes. You won't find many fixed anchors, so be prepared to build your own. The rock quality is excellent, but loose rock does exist, especially on the less-traveled routes.

The easiest and most popular route on the Perch is the 5.9 Mountaineer's Route. Other popular classics include The Direct Beckey, Astro-Elephant, the Sunrise Book, and Myopia.

To descend there are two options:

1. Descend the gully to the climber's right of the Perch. This involves some loose rock and some rappelling.

2. When you top out, go to climber's left and work your way down and left around the bulk of the Perch to eventually meet up with the trail you took to the base. This involves some short downclimbs and may require some scouting around if it's your first time.