Over the summer we enjoyed tent camping. This type of lifestyle allowed us to explore a bunch of abandoned towns and unique places in the area. One place we explored is called Elephant Rock. This rock is located in Newport, New Hampshire USA and may not have been called that by native New Hampshire residents. This historical boulder that’s about 35 feet high is a natural wonder.
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About Elephant Rock in Newport, New Hampshire
The rock is now called Elephant Rock because it resembles the look of an elephant kneeling down. While my photos may not depict this, Cow New Hampshire has an older sketch of this magnificent boulder featured on their website. The circumference of this beautiful boulder is said to have been measured to be around one hundred feet in diameter.
There is speculation about how this boulder ended up at one thousand five hundred feet above sea level and sits alone atop this beautiful location. There is, however, no real documentation on how this boulder arrived to its currently location. There are no other signs of boulders or such large creations here in the woods. While there’s no real historical fact about who first coined the name Elephant Rock, it truly does resemble the large animal.
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This is a hidden wonder of nature, found deep within the woods off a class six road in Newport, NH. Currently a privately owned location, and quite a little hike to get to it, Elephant Rock as certainly a beauty to behold in person. There’s no way I could ever explain it’s true size in comparison to seeing it in real life. I recall rounding the corner and there the boulder sat … my jaw dropped.
We felt so small standing next to it. The boys and their Dad had a picnic here once too, it’s a nice spot to enjoy. Sadly, I won’t be disclosing the location. I simply wanted to share the beauty of this magnificent boulder. The current owners don’t have it posted, but I’m sure they don’t want the internet going up there and destroying it with graffiti as do most people end up doing these darn days. I cannot even begin to express my annoyance with so many historical spots and abandoned locations we’ve explored only to find them a mess.
With that being said, there are many online sites discussing this beauty. It’s off a class six road, so you’ll need to take a specific off-road rig to get there anyway, or hike. We did have to hike into the woods to find it and ended up with ticks crawling all over us.
Speaking of ticks, do you know how to protect yourself against tick bites while hiking with kids in the woods? I wanted to share a few tips to help you survive hiking in the woods during tick season.
How do you keep ticks from getting on you?
- Use a tick repellent spray. Try this DEET free tick repellent spray.
- Wear long pants and shirts.
- Tuck your pants into socks, if possible.
- Try to avoid known tick-infested areas.
- Always check yourself after time outdoors, especially after a hike in the woods.
If you do get a tick on you then try to use a tick removal tool to get rid of it, and always call your doctor. Your doctor can test the tick to make sure it isn’t a lime disease-carrying tick. You will also want to watch for any irritation, such as a bulls-eye rash, as that could be a sign that the tick was carrying a disease. Always check with your doctor after a tick bite, if they were just crawling on you and didn’t attach, you may be just fine.