Stanley, Idaho is a town of 100 people located in Custer County, Idaho. It lies in a small valley of the Salmon River, beneath the Sawtooth Mountains. It lies at an elevation of over 6000 feet, meaning that the climate there is bitterly cold in the winters and is liable to frost year-round.
Because of the climate and the isolation, Stanley Idaho is arguably one of the most isolated places in the lower 48 states. The nearest larger city of significance is Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho, an area of around 5,000 people, 60 miles distant. The great isolation is somewhat relative, since Stanley and the area around it attracts a great deal of tourist traffic in the summer. Also, like many greatly isolated areas, it has more services for its size than could be expected. It has its own airport, for example.
Coming into a town like Stanley is somewhat disorienting. Despite its small size, because of the fact that someone entering it has perhaps not seen a town or even a habitation for hours, the small, tightly knit downtown seems to be quite the bustling urban center.