Historical Marker
Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Elephant Butte, Sierra County · New Mexico
The butte the lake is named for is the eroded core of an old volcano, now an island rising more than 400 feet from the lake floor, said to resemble an elephant lying on its side. Lake Esperanza, Lake Hall and Lake Engle were all proposed first. The reservoir runs about 40 miles with more than 200 miles of shoreline, and it became New Mexico's largest state park on July 1, 1964. In June 2014 a bachelor party on the shore found the skull of a stegomastodon, a relative of today's elephants, about three million years old.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Elephant Butte Lake State Park Situated beside the huge, 36,000- acre Elephant Butte Reservoir, this is one of the largest and most popular parks in New Mexico. It combines boating, waterskiing, fishing and other water-based sports with land activities such as camping, picnicking, and hiking. Fish caught year-round at Elephant Butte Lake include various species of bass, channel catfish and crappie.
Where it stands
33.13331, -107.25044 · Directions
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