Elephant Rock (Valley of Fire)

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Elephant Rock

| photo = Elephant Rock (Aztec Sandstone, Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic; Valley of Fire, Nevada, USA) 5.jpg

| photo_caption = South aspect of the arch

| elevation_ft = 1926

| elevation_ref ={{cite gnis|id=858272|name=Elephant Rock|access-date=2024-11-28}}

| prominence_ft = 32

| prominence_ref ={{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/48616|title=Elephant Rock - 1,886' NV|website=listsofjohn.com|access-date=2024-11-28}}

| range =Great Basin Ranges{{cite peakbagger|pid=86851|name=Elephant Rock, Nevada|accessdate=2024-11-28}}

| isolation_mi = 0.78

| isolation_ref =

| parent_peak = The 5-Arch

| country = United States

| state = Nevada

| region = Clark

| region_type = County

|part_type = Protected area | part = Valley of Fire State Park

| map = USA Nevada#USA

| map_caption = Location in Nevada

| map_size = 230

| label_position = left

| coordinates = {{coord|36.4283735|N|114.4609548|W|type:mountain_region:US-NV_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref =

| topo = USGS Valley of Fire East

| age = Early Jurassic

| rock = Aztec Sandstone

| type =

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route = {{YDS|3}} scrambling

}}

Elephant Rock is a {{convert|1926|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} summit in Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Description

Elephant Rock is located {{convert|42|mi|km}} northeast of downtown Las Vegas in the Valley of Fire State Park near the park's east entrance. The landform is one of the most photographed attractions within the park.Greg Ward, The Rough Guide to Las Vegas, Rough Guides, 2002, {{ISBN|9781858288901}}, p. 133. It is set in the Mojave Desert and it is one of the most famous sandstone features in Nevada.Gibbs Smith, Nevada, Our Home, {{ISBN|9781423623724}}, p.14 Elephant Rock is composed of Aztec Sandstone which formed as lithified sand dunes in a desert about 180–190 million years ago during the Early Jurassic.Rick Miller PhD, Really, What’s Two Billion Years Among Friends?, Dorrance Publishing, 2023, {{ISBN|9798885271776}}, p. 32. Precipitation runoff from the landform drains east to Lake Mead via Thomas Wash and Valley of Fire Wash. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises {{convert|120.|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the Valley of Fire Road in 265 feet (81 m). Access to the arch is from a 0.25-mile trail that starts at a roadside parking lot with information and restrooms.Brian Beffort, Afoot and Afield: Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, Wilderness Press, 2010, {{ISBN|9780899976518}}, p. 165. This landform's descriptive toponym, which derives its name from a much-photographed natural arch that resembles an elephant, has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States, 4th Edition, National Geographic Books, 2012, {{ISBN|9781426208898}}, p. 353.

Climate

Elephant Rock is set within the Mojave Desert which has hot summers and cold winters.{{cite journal | author = Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. | year = 2007 | title = Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification | journal = Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume = 11 | issn = 1027-5606}} Due to the elevation and aridity, temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Summer nights are comfortably cool. Winter highs are generally above freezing, and winter nights are bitterly cold, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing.