Shafer Creek Point is an unofficially named mountain located in southwest Idaho, just east of Horseshoe Bend. The mountain itself isn’t exciting, but the views are nice and it’s close to home. The peak is mostly surrounded by private property, but it’s possible to stay on public BLM land all the way by hiking up the east slopes from Shafer Creek.

I was looking for a short hike close to home, and this one fit the bill. I’d expected it to be a snowshoe outing, but once in the area, I found the snow was minimal and left the snowshoes in the car.

The slopes start out pretty steep when hiking from Shafer Creek, so no warm up section, just up! Not too far into the hike, I spotted some elk out in front of me, which made for a convenient excuse to stop and take pictures (and catch my breath). The elk ended up leading me all the way to the top.

Once I reached about 4500’ elevation, the highpoint came into view in the distance, and the grade leveled off. There was even a faint jeep trail to follow. From the summit, I had great views in all direction and also spotted a big group of nearly 20 elk to the west.

Now all that was left was to retrace my route back to the car. It was a crisp and clear day, almost no wind. A great day to be out for a hike. Round trip was 3 miles, 1700’ elevation gain, in just over 2 hours of hiking.

Map of the route, 3 miles and 1700' gain round trip.	Heading up the east slopes from Shafer Creek.	Three elk leading the way.	Open terrain.	First view of the highpoint.
Squaw Butte from the summit.	Herd of elk below the summit.	Mores Mountain and Shafer Butte from the summit.	View of Hawley Mountain on the way back down.	Steep descent to the car.
Map of the route, 3 miles and 1700' gain round trip.Heading up the east slopes from Shafer Creek.Three elk leading the way.Open terrain.First view of the highpoint.Elk on the summit of Shafer Creek Point.Shafer Creek Point summit area.Squaw Butte from the summit.Herd of elk below the summit.Mores Mountain and Shafer Butte from the summit.View of Hawley Mountain on the way back down.Steep descent to the car.