Hidden · Graniteville, Missouri, United States
Elephant Rocks State Park
Giant pink granite boulders lined up like a circus train in the Saint Francois Mountains, next to old quarries that supplied stone to St. Louis.
Pink boulders that look like a train of circus elephants.
Elephant Rocks State Park is a geologic reserve and recreation area in the Saint Francois Mountains of Missouri, near Graniteville. It protects an outcropping of Precambrian granite, and it gets its name from a string of huge pink boulders that resemble a train of circus elephants. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources manages it, and visitors use it for picnics, rock climbing and walks.
The granite formed about 1.4 billion years ago, when magma cooled underground. Cracks opened in the stone as it cooled, and groundwater later weathered it along those cracks, leaving solid cores inside softer, crumbling rock. Over time, runoff washed the soft material away, and the cores were left sitting on the surface as the rounded boulders people now call the elephant rocks.
From quarry stone to street paving in St. Louis.
The reddish granite of this area has been quarried since 1869, and two abandoned quarries lie inside the park. Stone from these and nearby quarries went into buildings in states from Massachusetts to California, most of all in St. Louis, where it was used for City Hall and the piers of the Eads Bridge.
Stone that was not good enough for buildings was cut into shoebox-sized paving blocks for the streets of St. Louis and its wharf on the Mississippi River. The park itself was created after the land was donated to the state in 1967. Stone quarried in the area is still used for monuments and sold commercially as Missouri Red.
Practical notes.
Before you go.
Why are they called the Elephant Rocks?
A string of large pink granite boulders resembles a train of circus elephants, which gave the park its name.
How old is the granite?
It formed about 1.4 billion years ago, when magma cooled underground. Erosion later exposed it and left the boulders sitting on the surface.
Is there an easy trail?
Yes. The Braille Trail is a one-mile loop (about 2 km), the first in Missouri state parks designed for visitors with visual and physical challenges.
Where did the quarried granite go?
Into buildings from Massachusetts to California, especially in St. Louis, including City Hall and the piers of the Eads Bridge. Lesser stone became street paving.
Around Missouri
Walking tours, day trips and experiences around this area, on GetYourGuide.