The Elephant Seal

Monument Canyon #1

fruita
poems
national monument
monument canyon
Does that seal look hungry to you?
Author

Rudy

Published

October 19, 2025

Beside the path of Monument fame,
A curious rock has earned its name.
Big snout skyward, mouth open wide,
Yikes! An elephant seal — better hide!

Perhaps it’s mid-yawn, or maybe mid-story,
Sharing epics of its former glory.
Or maybe, I have a hunch,
That it’s sizing up a hiker’s lunch.

Some say it’s telling tales,
Of ancient seas and fossilized whales.
Others swear they’ve heard it snore,
When canyon winds begin to roar.

So if you pass and hear a sound,
A gravelly groan from rocky ground,
Just tip your hat and keep your stride,
In case that seal has an appetite!

Click to expand the sections below.

You’ll find a rock next to the trail that looks like the profile of an elephant seal with its mouth wide open.

You’ll find this rock formation along the Monument Canyon trail. It is located somewhere in the area highlighted in purple above. Click for an interactive map.

Can you find an area that looks like this? For the best elephant seal angle, walk just past the rock and then turn around to look back at it.

GPS coordinates of this photo: 39.10077, -108.70906

Click for interactive map