Travel to Elephant State Park in Graniteville Missouri to view the elephant rocks.
Are there elephants in the Ozarks? Well, not exactly. But there are elephant rocks! These billion-year old granite giants viewed from the distance do look just a like a herd of circus elephants, and they can be seen in Elephant State Park, Graniteville, Missouri.
More than a billion years ago, in the Precambrian era, molten rock called magma, was pushed to the surface from below. This boiling magma took millions of years to cool, and as it did, it formed the solid granite. And is it cooled, joints, or vertical cracks, developed. Then when the Ozark Mountains went through their upward thrust, these joints developed further.
Huge, oblong blocks of granite were produced by the jointing. As these blocks weathered, over thousands of years, the corners of the blocks rounded off, giving these boulders their present, elephant-like shapes. Eventually, trees and shrubs began to grow in the cracks and joints, aiding the weathering process. Because as the roots and stems of these plants grow, they, of course, make the fractures larger in time and wear away the rock surfaces.
These giant rocks are continually decomposing, but as time passes, more stone elephants are being made between the joints and cracks of the granite hillside in the park.
How many elephants are there? Well, no official count has ever been taken. However, the largest rock, called Dumbo, the pink granite patriarch of the rock elephants, stands at an amazing 27 feet in height, is 35 feet long, 17 feet wide, and is estimated to weigh 680 tons!
Elephant State Park is also the first Missouri park to have a designated Braille Trail for the visually impaired. The signs along this trail are written in Braille and in regular text, describing the origin of the elephant rocks, and guiding disabled and elderly visitors along a paved one-mile path. The trail is also wide enough for wheel chairs.
While exploring the elephant rocks, you can stop at one of the scattered picnic sites near the giant granite boulders, and have a bite to eat, or for a cold drink. But camping is not allowed at the park.
Elephant Rocks State Park is recognized for its outstanding geological value and protected from development. Visiting these ancient, Ozark elephants is a real treat. You will be amazed when you see them!
