Idaho's El Capitan Reflection

Horizontal orientation. Canvas prints are available with optional barnwood or hardwood floating frames hand-crafted by the photographer, making a truly unique and one-of-a-kind piece of art. Please see images for details.

The magnificent Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho are popular for photography, as well as hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. The Alice-Toxaway Loop is one of the most popular hikes in the Stanley area, beginning at the Tin Cup Trailhead and passing Farley, Toxaway, Twin, and Alice Lakes along the way. I backpacked the loop the last week of July 2026, taking 2 nights and 3 days. My wanderings to photograph waterfalls, creeks, lakes, and wildflowers made the 19-mile hike into a little over 33 miles! When I reached Alice Lake, it was still quite early in the day, so I set up camp and explored the area. My campsite was near a trail that circled the lake, so I walked the trail to see what views were to be found along the way. Near the lake outlet are two smaller unnamed lakes that offer magnificent reflections of the El Capitan peak. The next morning, I packed up my campsite early so that I could be at these smaller lakes before the sun was too bright on the peaks. In this image, the sun was near the horizon, and there was a little sunrise color warming the peaks with golden hour light.