Canyoneering Elephant Butte - Arches National Park

Overview

Mon

74° | 54°

Tue

68° | 51°

Wed

66° | 45°

Thu

77° | 44°

Fri

82° | 51°

( Rated 3.6 / 60 Ratings )

131 Todo Lists / 74 Ticks

RATING: A little lower 5th class climbing

LENGTH: 3-5 Hours

SEASON: Any, no snow. Can be hot in the summer.

GEAR: Standard canyoneering gear.

RAPPELS: 2 to 35 m ( 115 ft. )

A permit is required for this trip. For permit information see this page.

Mon

74° | 54°

Tue

68° | 51°

Wed

66° | 45°

Thu

77° | 44°

Fri

82° | 51°

Trailhead photo for Elephant Butte

Elephant Butte, at 5653 ft., is the highest point in Arches National Park. The route, winding through the maze of Entrada fins, requires good route finding (or persistence), a rappel, and a bit of lower 5th class climbing to reach some of the best views around. This lofty summit has wide views of most of Arches, Castle Valley, and the La Sal Mountains. It is one of my favorite adventures in the park, partly for the views but also for the challenging route finding and climbing sections to get to the summit.

Difficulty Note: I've had several groups e-mail me recently that Elephant Butte had very challenging climbing sections. In all cases, it was raining or had rained the day they visited, and the sandstone was wet. Not recommended if the weather is threatening, there is snow on the ground, or the ground is wet from recent rain! Even a little precipitation will make the climbing much more difficult. The rule for climbing on sandstone is to make sure the rock is 100% dry before climbing. Sandstone is fragile. There are several sections that are probably low 5th class and do have some exposure. You will need a confident sandstone leader that can climb these sections without protection.

Rope Length: There have been some comments over the years that the first rappel surpassed 30 m ( 99 ft. ). In 2026, we did the first rappel double strand with a 60 m rope that I measured when we returned from our trip. The first rappel is about 30 m ( 99 ft. ) according to my rope and measurement. If you use a 60 m ( 197 ft. ) rope and rappel straight back off the ledge, however, the pull is over horrible rope grooves, and is very difficult! This is the first place I have almost stuck a rope in a very long time, even after carefully setting it up. I would recommend bringing rope for a 35 m ( 115 ft. ) rappel to make the pull easier. Alternatively, consider a retrievable anchor like a fiddle stick See note below in the route sections about rappelling down the corner, which is shorter and has a better pull.