Elephant Rocks
The BLM’s Elephant Rocks Area is three miles north of Del Norte and south of Penitente Canyon Recreation Area. The Elephant Rocks area is 378 acres at an elevation of 7,900 feet and managed by the San Luis Valley Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This unique geologic formation allows for hiking, mountain biking, and climbing opportunities.
A weathered remnant of the Fish Canyon tuff, it was once habitat for the Columbian mammoths that lived in the San Luis Valley during the Pleistocene Epoch. Local legend has it that these giant creatures left their mark on the rocks, leaving ‘rubs,’ smooth surfaces 8-10 feet above the average man.
This is a five-mile long formation of monolithic boulders within a mix of short grass prairie and foothill shrub land. This fascinating area is full of amazing scenery as well as great Pinyon-Juniper and shrubland birds. It is good for Rock Wren, Green-tailed Towhee, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bushtit and Pinyon Jay, and Cassin’s Kingbird (a rare bird in the San Luis Valley) has been seen here too. Poorwills call from the rocks at night. Several species of lizard scamper over the boulders, and with luck you might see a snake. You won’t miss the chipmunks and the rock squirrels.
Getting Here
From the intersection of US 160 and CO 112 in the center of Del Norte, head north on CO 112 about three miles and turn left (north) on Rio Grande CR 33. The Elephant Rocks begin almost immediately to the west of this road. To get to the Saguache County portion, continue north about three more miles until Rio Grande CR 33 becomes Saguache CR 38-A.