Easy to Moderate, 2.6 mi out and back
456 ft elevation gain
Hiked 12/19/23 (sunrise the next morning part of larger hike)
This short hike takes you up to a vantage point offering views of Elephant Hill as well as views of The Needles, spiky columns reaching into the air. These formations, like the nearby Arches, owe their existence to salt under the rock layers. Trail connects to Chesler Park Loop & Druid Arch Trails.
More information about the formation of The Needles may be found on this brief summary provided by NPS.
Sunrise from the Elephant Hill viewpoint, with what I believe to be Pinnacle Point spiking up in the distance.
A large pillar of cedar mesa sandstone rises up. Broken boulders of a whitish sandstone may be seen below.
Looking up at a large sandstone hillside/pillar, which may be what is considered ‘elephant hill’. In the foreground are a variety of desert shrubs in green. I never quite figured out what the actual elephant hill was.