Big Elk Creek is a gorgeous stream that flows down a big pristine canyon that is free of motor vehicles and livestock grazing. The canyon includes many avalanche chutes and rugged mountains. It has an easy trail leading up a broad, open, and scenic canyon.

The Trailhead is at 5700-foot elevation and at the mouth of the canyon there are 18 campsites overlooking a finger of Palisades Reservoir, which goes a short way up the canyon. There is plenty of parking for hikers and a stock-loading ramp and rails for tying up horses for equestrians.

The Trail from campground goes north along Big Elk Creek, and heads for miles into the heart of the Snake River mountain range. The high alpine meadows have exceptional flower displays during the summer months. Excellent views are everywhere you look throughout the Big Elk Creek backcountry. Black bear are relatively common, elk and moose are abundant, there is a population of mountain goats that cling to the many cliffs of the Big Elk Creek drainage. The peregrine falcon has been restored to the cliffs of the Snake River Range also.

Big Elk Creek Trail intersects with many other trails of the Snake River Range. The ambitious hiker or rider can head northwest and end up in Teton Valley Idaho, north to Jackson Hole Wyoming or southeast for Alpine Wyoming or loop back around through Palisades Creek to Swan Valley Idaho.

Big Elk Creek is a major drainage for the Snake River Range and is quite long and provides great fishing for native cutthroat trout throughout much of it°s length, in August the kokanee salmon come up Big Elk Creek to spawn and although they are hard to catch these vermillion colored fish are something to see.

As a part of the 200,000-acre Palisades roadless area Big Elk Creek can certainly be regarded as one of eastern Idaho's many natural uncrowded gems as eastern Idaho and western Idaho host an embarrassment of riches of beautiful places and the famous ones attract the majority of the crowds.