Elephant Rock Trail

Elephant Rock is an easy out and back trail 0.4mi. RT or a 1.2mi. loop to an elephant shaped rock formation in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. The Rock is located right next to the main road near the East Entrance. Elephant Rock is an easy out and back trail 0.4mi. RT or a 1.2mi. loop to an elephant shaped rock formation in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. The Rock is located right next to the main road near the East Entrance. Parking is prohibited there, but you can park at the East Entrance parking lot and take a short 0.2 mile hike to get up close. Take the left fork in the open area to head back toward the main road and up the hill - this will take you right to the rock which is above you to the right as you reach the road. You can easily climb to a vantage point above the rock to take the best pictures. The trail continues along the road and bears off to the right and loops around the rock formations to come back toward the main parking lot on the other side. The loop is 1.2 miles. Watch for lizards and snakes. The rock formations are very interesting. The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape. Other important rock formations include limestones, shales, and conglomerates. Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Basket Maker people and later the Anasazi Pueblo farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley.