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All the United States Missouri Iron Township Elephant Rocks State Park

Elephant Rocks State Park

Giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants.

Iron Township, Missouri

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Dumbo off in the distance   lissalou66 / CC BY-ND 2.0
Dumbo off in the distance   lissalou66 / CC BY-ND 2.0
  Nikonian Novice / CC BY-ND 2.0
  Nikonian Novice / CC BY-ND 2.0
Entering the elephants.   winddancer424 / Atlas Obscura User
Boulders   Noella T / Atlas Obscura User
At the top.   winddancer424 / Atlas Obscura User
Shaped Like a Molar   Lurkerlaine / Atlas Obscura User
  rachelbaker1982 / Atlas Obscura User
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
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  rachelbaker1982 / Atlas Obscura User
  KayakCaye / Atlas Obscura User
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About

About 1.5 billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming coarsely crystalline red granite, which later weathered into huge, rounded boulders. Standing atop a granite outcrop, one of the largest elephant rocks, Dumbo, tops the scales at a unreal 680 tons.

Visitors to Elephant Rocks State Park can easily view the granite boulders from the one-mile Braille Trail, designed to accommodate people with visual or physical disabilities. The trail passes by a quarry pond, which now supports a variety of animal life. A short spur off of the trail takes visitors to the top of the granite outcrop, where they can explore the maze of giant elephant rocks.

A second spur brings visitors to a point overlooking an old quarry site. This red granite, first commercially quarried in the late 1800s, has been used as building material and as paving blocks for the St. Louis levee and downtown streets. Today, "Missouri Red" granite is cut and polished mainly for use as monuments. Picnic sites allow visitors to rest and have a cool drink among the stone pachyderms.

Related Tags

State Parks Rocks Martian Landscapes Geological Oddities Ecosystems Geology

Know Before You Go

From St. Louis Take I-55 south out of St. Louis to U.S. Hwy. 67, just south of the Festus (Route A) exit. Turn right (Exit 174) onto southbound U.S. Hwy. 67 and drive past Bonne Terre, Park Hills, Leadington and into Farmington. On the south side of Farmington is the State Road 221 overpass. Exit onto State Road 221 and travel for 9 miles. When you reach the intersection with Route NN, go straight onto Route NN. Continue for 8 miles to a flashing stoplight at a three-way stop. Turn right onto northbound Hwy. 21 and travel two miles. The park entrance is on right side of road. The trip is about one and one half hours long.

Community Contributors

Edited By

dacubsrule, howiegilson4, bluceleste87, ltellor42...

  • dacubsrule
  • howiegilson4
  • bluceleste87
  • ltellor42
  • Lurkerlaine
  • winddancer424
  • ck0256226
  • Noella T
  • rachelbaker1982
  • KayakCaye

Published

May 5, 2010

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Elephant Rocks State Park
County Rd 53
c/o Fort Davidson State Historic Site
Iron Township, Missouri, 63650
United States
37.654597, -90.688557
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Taum Sauk Mountain

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

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Taum Sauk Mountain

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

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