Elephant Skin Road

Elephant Skin Road is an easy Jeep trail between Montrose and Olathe. There are a few shallow gullies across the road, but can be done with any vehicle with a bit of clearance. There is a very strange occurrence in the middle of the trail. There is an area where gullies are joined by underground natural culverts. Let us call them Natural Bridges! The road passes over one of the natural bridges. Almost all of the road is in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. The first stretch out of Montrose is a long valley surrounded by "elephant skin" hills. This valley to the side appears to have many water retention structures that are no longer used. Much of the area appears to have been irrigated ranchland at one time. The equipment is abandoned and the trees have died. There are many interesting formations along the cliffs east of the road.