Elephant Mountain
This place doesn’t appear to have any rooms at all, but a huge rock wall at the summit makes the ruin worth seeing. The wall is about 4 feet thick and 80 paces long, and in some of the better-preserved spots it stands more than 6 feet high. It’s a classic example of hilltop wall that appears to have been built for defense. Tall cliffs make it impossible to access the ruin from the north, east, or south. The only way a person can reach the top of the butte is to climb up the west slope, which is where the wall stands. Of course, no good defensive wall would be complete without loopholes, and this wall has plenty of those. Today, a hiker can easily look through the crumbled parts of the wall to get a view of the butte’s west slope where access to the summit is easiest. However, when the wall was in better shape, the tiny windows might have provided the only safe way to see who was approaching the mountaintop.
Driving Directions
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Directions to: Elephant Mountain
print directionsTrail Statistics & Information
| Activity | Hiking |
|---|---|
| Nearby City | Cave Creek |
| Length | 3 mi |
| Skill Level | Moderate |
| Duration | Day Hike |
| Top Elevation | 3,342 ft |
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