Elephant Arch

 

Elephant Arch in Lander, Wyoming

A few years ago we went to "The Bus" hiking area in Lander, Wyoming to take some family photos.  We happened to find this arch in a rock that looks like an elephant.  I don't know what the arch is really named, but we named it Elephant Arch.  My kids had a great time climbing on top of it.  We went back a couple years later and couldn't find it.  So in August of 2024, my husband and I decided to search for it.  

Drive on Baldwin Creek Road until you see a small dirt parking area on the right side of the road.  Across from it there is a very obvious trail, and even a sign warning you to wipe your feet and not bring invasive species into The Bus.  We parked in the parking lot across Baldwin Creek Road and started our hike.  We hiked farther than I thought the arch was, and I saw a grouping of rocks that I thought was probably the location of the arch.  This proved to be true, as after we turned around and headed back to the first grouping of rocks and wandered around a bit, then we finally found the elephant.

This is how the trail begins when you first leave the little parking lot on Baldwin Creek Road.  It is pretty narrow at first, and a little steep.  After you get over this ridge you start to veer to the right.

There are several trails in "The Bus."  It doesn't really matter which one you take, they are all pretty close to each other and all take you to the same destination.  When you leave the parking lot and head up into The Bus, take the trail heading to the right, not the left.  We took the lower trail on the way out and the upper trail on the way back.  We could see at least three trails running parallel to each other pretty much the entire way.

Along the way, don't miss seeing why The Bus is called The Bus -- this broken down volkswagen bus that was long ago wrecked and abandoned in this ditch is where this hiking area got its name.  You will only see it if you're on one of the higher trails - if you're hiking through the ditch you will probably miss it.  Be careful -- twice when I've been there we found rattle snakes enjoying the shade inside the bus.

You'll also spot this old rusted-out car along the trail.

It is parked only feet away from one of the parallel trails

The view of the car from the upper trail - this photo was actually taken on the way back

We had a beautiful double rainbow on our August hike through the bus.

At least one of the hiking trails will eventually take you off to the left - take that direction, although you can still find the elephant if you don't -- but this is a more direct route.

The trail will curve around the small mountain

As you're walking on the trail you'll see this off on your left, on the other side of the gully.  It looks like a small cave over in those rock formations.

After going around the bend you will see this grouping of rocks on your right.  That is where Elephant Arch is, although you can't tell yet.

This grouping of rocks, which would be straight in front of you as you're hiking the trail, is to the left of the group that has Elephant Arch in it.

This very large sloping rock ledge is even farther to the left, but it is very easy to recognize - so when you see this, veer off the trail to the left and explore a little until you spot Elephant Arch, which is in that first grouping of rocks.  My daughter actually filmed a video on this sloping rock formation:

Rebecca performs "Schindler's List Theme" in The Bus

The entire area is absolutely stunning - and it's a lot of fun for kids to climb all over the rocks and explore.  There are a few sharp drop-offs, so be careful if letting your kids wander around.

This photo was taken while standing right beside Elephant Arch - this beautiful double rainbow made the setting even more beautiful!

Elephant Arch was behind us as we were taking this photo.

This is the front view of Elephant Arch

This is the precise location of Elephant Arch

Google Maps Dropped Pin at Elephant Arch

This is what the trail looks like - the tiny veer off the trail was looking at the VW bus.  The green dot is Elephant Arch.

The hike from the parking lot on Baldwin Creek Road to Elephant Arch is less than a mile.  This distance on my Map my Run program includes a few minutes after we got to our car and started driving -- so you can see the actual hike is really quite short.

A lot of people have carved their name into the rock under and around the arch.  Even some from as recent as 2023, which makes me sad.

This is the backside view of the arch

You can climb right under it (under the elephant's trunk)

The front side of the arch with me under it

The back side of the arch with me under it

Getting on top of the arch is easy

Sitting on it like an elephant is fun

The beautiful view from on top of the elephant

This is what it looks like on top of the arch

the top of Elephant Arch

If you decide to take the round-about way, like we did at first, you can still find the arch, you just might have to back-track or bush-wash a little bit.

This is the route we took at first.  We started at Baldwin Creek Road and hiked in the ditch and then on the high trail, passing by the rock formations and then doubling back to where the arch actually is (the red dot)

This was after we had turned around and were headed back - those rocks in the center of the photo are where Elephant Arch is located

If you see this grouping of rocks after you've gone too far, you know you're on the right track

There are a lot of cool rock formations in The Bus

This is what Elephant Rock looks like when facing it straight on - you can't tell it's an arch until you walk to the right of it and see how it looks like an elephant.

If you're lucky maybe you'll see a rainbow too!

Some fun photos from when our family first found Elephant Arch in 2020: