What Is Elephant Rock And Where Is It?
The “Elephant Rock” is a unique natural sandstone formation in the Nevada desert. It is located along the Valley Of Fire Highway which is the main road that goes through the Valley Of Fire State Park near Overton, Nevada about a 45-minute drive from Las Vegas.
As you can see in the photo, the Elephant Rock is pretty close to the highway. It is a very short hike and easy to access after a short but somewhat steep climb from the road below. The Valley Of Fire State Park is only open from sunrise to sunset. When you figure in driving time you will only be able to get to see Elephant Rock a bit after sunrise or a bit before sunset as well as anytime in between.
To get into the park you’ll have to purchase a day pass for The Valley Of Fire. The pass currently runs $10. If you are going there for photography purposes, your best bet is to grab one of the first come first served campsites for $20.
Along with the Elephant Rock formation, the other photo you’ve probably seen from the is the Valley Of Fire Fire Wave Formation.
What Is It Like To Travel To And Photograph Elephant Rock At The Valley Of Fire?
Lucky for you, getting to The Valley Of Fire is pretty easy. If you are heading out to the park and need to fly in, the Las Vegas Airport of the St. George Airport are your two best options with Las Vegas being the closest of the two.
If you are staying in Las Vegas you can book a tour to the Valley Of Fire. If you want to see the park at your own leisure, you’ll be better off to rent a car and drive out there on your own. It’s an easy drive on good roads between Las Vegas and the Valley Of Fire.
The Elephant Rock formation is located right along the main park road with limited nearby parking. If you keep your eyes open you’ll be able to spot the Elephant Rock formation on the side of the road. While it looks like a huge rock formation in this photo and the other photos of it you will see, it is surprisingly small when you get up close to it.
Since this is a popular sightseeing and photo location in the park, your best bet is to get there early in the morning before the larger afternoon crowds roll in. It will be easier to get there soon after sunrise if you stay in the park at the campground.
What Does It Take To Get A Wall Art Quality Photo Of The Elephant Rock Formation?
If you want to get a good photo of the Elephant Rock formation at The Valley Of Fire that stand out you’ll want to try to get there as early as possible in the morning or try to hang out at sunset until the park rangers come to chase you out. Under most any other lighting conditions, a photo of the Elephant Rock formation will look pretty much the same as any other photo of it.
If you can get there early in the morning, you’ll want to climb up above the Elephant Rock formation and shoot down toward the road. You’ll be facing the sun as it comes up over the horizon. This will be your best chance to get some fiery or at least interesting skies over Elephant Rock.
If it is a clear morning then you may want to get in a quick shot as the sun rises up over the horizon if you can get there early enough for that. You may be able to get a sunburst IF you can get there that early but the park hours may not facilitate that. Once the sun rises on a clear day your best bet will be to drop down below Elephant Rock to shoot up at it as the sun gives the formation a nice bright reddish orange glow.
Sunrise will probably be the best time to photograph the formation to get clean shots without people in them. Between the smaller crowds and the potential for better lighting and cool skies, sunrise will be your best chance to get unique photo of the Elephant Rock formation.
What Is The Best Gear For Photographing The Elephant Rock Formation?
If you want to get a good photo of the Elephant Rock formation your best bet is to go at sunrise as noted above. You’ll want to have a good DSLR with a decent sized sensor or a mirrorless camera. Most of your best photo opportunities will be standing pretty close to this relatively small sandstone formation.
Since you’ll be standing close to it you’ll want a fairly wide angle lens. Something like a 17mm to 40mm lens would be good to have and that could be complimented with a 24mm – 105mm lens. Chances are you will use the wider angle lens when standing above the Elephant Rock formation and the longer lens when shooting from down below it.
If you’ll be photographing the formation in the morning or evening in low light you’ll want to have a tripod to keep your camera stable and your images sharp. Depending on when you go, a circular polarizer may help bring out deep blue skies or enhance the beautiful red rock colors on the formation and the surrounding landscape.
What Is The Story Behind This Elephant Rock Wall Art Photo?
During the summer of 2014 I was on the 5th year of what would be a 10 year skiing and national park road trip that was only supposed to last for two months. I was wandering around the southwestern US. Way back in 2011 I discovered The Wave in the Coyote Buttes section of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Subsequent to that I came across a photo of the Fire Wave at the Valley of Fire at a photo gallery in Moab, Utah. The guy who ran the gallery said it was his best selling photo print.
He told me about the Valley of Fire and where it was. I filed it away in the back of my mind as a place I definitely wanted to do see and photograph but had no idea at the time if I’d ever get there.
In the spring of 2014 I was in the Vegas area after spending some time in and around Death Valley and up along Highway 395 in California. I had zero interest in spending any time in Las Vegas and cruised right through Vegas toward the small town of Overton, Nevada a bit beyond the Valley of Fire.
I’d been sleeping in the car a lot in strange places as well as some of the dry campgrounds in Death Valley, or at least dry in the sense there were no showers available. When looking at the most affordable way to spend time in the Valley of Fire, I noted the daily entry fee was $10 and the camping fee was $20 and included the daily park fee. The cheapest way to spend time at the park would have been to camp every other night. That would effectively cost $10 per day and give me access to a campsite and a shower every other night. That would be the same cost at paying the daily entry fee each day.
While that would have cut the cost for that park in have (as compared to camping in the park every night), I was just too tired to go to get the cost down to $10/day while still camping there every other night. I went in early one morning, paid for 4 nights and ended up staying for 8. The sights there were awesome. Getting a good night sleep and having access to a shower were even more awesome.
Once I learned about the strict enforcement of the sunrise to sunset hours in the portions of the park outside the campground, I determined that the Fire Wave would be my go to sunset spot and the Elephant Rock formation would be the sunrise spot. The Elephant Rock formation was a shorter distance from the campground and required a shorter hike. Due to the park regulations I’d still get there after sunrise but it wouldn’t be as late as I’d get to the Fire Wave if I went there for sunrise.
Every morning it wasn’t raining or really overcast I’d go to the Elephant Rock formation. Many mornings were perfectly clear as it often the case in the desert. On the morning this photo was taken, it looked like there was a chance of rain but also a chance of a really vibrant sunrise.
I was able to get to Elephant Rock just after sunrise by being one of the first people out of the campground and out on the Valley of Fire Highway. For a few moments I was the only person there. Soon a few more photographer types showed up. We were all careful to stay out of each others way so we could get clean shots. While there was a little fire in the sky along the horizon, the desired fiery sunrise didn’t materialize as hoped.
After about a week of camping and early mornings at the Valley of Fire, this was the best sunrise photo of the bunch. Over the course of the week, I had endless time to explore and photograph The Valley Of Fire and the formations and awesome sandstone textures that fill the landscape. There are TONS of Valley Of Fire prints available in addition to this one with the Fire Wave probably being the most recognizable of them all.
In What Formats Is This Photo Print Of The Elephant Rock Formation Available?
This Elephant Rock print is available in print sizes all the way up to 40×60 inches on paper, canvas, metal, acrylic and wood. If you’ll be hanging it in an area with diffused lighting then any material with any finish will look good. In diffused lighting, prints with a metallic or glossy surface will have a very vibrant look to them while matte canvas and paper prints will be a bit more subdued. If you’ll be hanging the print in an area with a lot of bright, direct light or exposed light bulbs then a non-reflective matte or paper print will likely look best.
If you’d like some bathroom decor, you might want to consider a shower curtain with the Elephant Rock formation on it. The shower curtain can be complimented with a set of matching bath towels. For the living room or bedroom, a Sherpa fleece blanket can add a nice touch and provide a super soft cozy way to stay warm and show off the Elephant Rock scene at The Valley Of Fire.
If you’re in need of one or more shopping bags to replace the plastic grocery bags being phased out everywhere, there are canvas tote bags available in a variety of sizes. In addition to shopping bags, these can make great beach bags as well. To protect that fancy new cel phone you just got, this image comes on phone cases that include the latest Apple and Samsung models.
For those who prefer brain teasers, this print can be ordered on jigsaw puzzles that come in 500 and 1,000 piece sizes. They arrive in a nice cardboard box with the image on the outside of the box for reference while assembling the puzzle.
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