Albion, Little River, and Mendocino lie to the north, and Manchester and Point Arena to the south.

It is an outgrowth of an earlier town called Cuffy's Cove and the cemetery is located at that townsite 1 mile (2 km) north of Elk.

When pioneer lumberman Lorenzo White was unable to reach a satisfactory deal with the owners of the lumber chutes at Cuffy's Cove to ship out his redwood product, he constructed a wharf out along a string of rocks in the center of what is now Elk.

When he built a large steam sawmill and 3-foot (90 cm) gauge railroad, the new employment drained the town of Cuffy's Cove, which was eventually abandoned.

After some quiet times, the town has had a rebirth[4] as a recreation destination particularly as a result of the pandemic with people wanting to get out of the urban areas.