1. Around Atlatl Rock
Distance: 0.2 miles loop.
Condition: unofficial and unmarked; easy-to-find natural path.
Difficulty: easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a hot day.
If you have been intrigued by the amazing petroglyphs on Atlatl Rock and want to see more, don’t drive away after coming down the staircase. Instead, take a stroll on the desert floor around the base of the small sandstone hill where Atlatl Rock resides. Although no official trails, the route is very easy to find if you go in the counterclockwise direction.
Most petroglyphs are on sandstone walls facing east (the same direction as the panel on Atlatl Rock). You may opt to explore farther, but few glyphs can be found away from this loop.
Along this route, many petroglyphs facing the open desert are heavily eroded, probably because of bombardment by sand carried by wind. You’ll at times need to negotiate your way on loose sand between boulders. Hiking boots without meshes may make your exploration easier because they are sand-proof.
The dark layer on the surface of sandstone is called the desert varnish and is formed by the combined effect of weathering and microorganism growth in this harsh environment. Old petroglyphs are often re-varnished and look darker. In fact, by analyzing the amount of re-varnishing, the age of a petroglyph can be estimated.
Arch Rock
A quarter mile beyond the Atlatl Rock parking lot on the side of the spur road is Arch Rock. The arch has a span of 13 feet and sits on top of the rock. You may want to stroll around to appreciate it from different angles, but please obey the sign that prohibits climbing the rock.
Delicate formations like arches can easily be damaged by human activities. Ephemeral Arch, formerly a hiking destination in this park, collapsed in May 2010. Nature itself was probably to blame in this particular instance. Nevertheless, we need to remind ourselves to do our part to preserve natural beauties for posterity.
Poodle Rock
Pavement ends a quarter mile beyond Arch Rock. Look to your left from the end of pavement, and you’ll see the profile of a poodle. Poodle Rock sits at the edge of Arch Rock Campground, which is nestled among beautiful sandstone outcrops. If you are not in a hurry, you may want to take an easy stroll around the campground to fully appreciate the outcrops.
The park has two campgrounds, the other near Atlatl Rock. Campsites are first come, first serve and can be difficult to get on holidays and weekends. If you want to camp nearby but can’t find a campsite, try the undeveloped campsites near Stewarts Point in Lake Mead National Conservation Area, 7 miles from the eastern entrance of Valley of Fire State Park. Large groups of campers should contact the park (702-397?C2088) to reserve a group use area.
Piano Rock
The spur road leading to Atlatl Rock and Arch Rock is aptly named Scenic Loop, and continues beyond Poodle Rock as a graded dirt road. A little over 300 feet beyond Poodle Rock, a giant grand piano quietly sits on a small sandstone outcrop about 30 feet to the right (north) of the unpaved road.
You can turn around here to return to pavement, or drive along the one mile of unpaved but well graded portion of Scenic Loop for views of many more interesting rock formations.
2. Petrified Logs Loop
Distance: 0.25 miles loop.
Condition: well maintained.
Difficulty: very easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a hot day.
The park has two sites of petrified logs that date back to over 200 million years ago. The larger of the two is at the end of a 0.2 mile dirt road across the main road from the Atlatl Rock turnoff, and features a loop trail passing by three petrified logs.
The other site is located 1.1 miles west of the eastern entrance station (0.3 miles east of The Cabins turnoff) and features a single log, requiring a short hike of 250 ft from its parking area.
In a petrified log, all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (usually silicates, the primary ingredients of silica sand that forms the sandstone in the Valley of Fire).
The three-dimensional structures of the wood can be so well preserved that one finds it hard to believe the wood has been dead for millions of years.
Unlike Coal that was formed from semi-decomposed plant remains in swampy areas, petrified wood was formed when the wood was buried under mineral-rich and anaerobic sediments like sand, so that hardly any aerobic decomposition took place, and minerals from water slowly replaced organic materials of wood.
The Scream
Around the visitor center are massive sandstone outcrops and hills, whose heavily eroded surfaces are dotted with holes that invite imagination. Be sure to check out Edvard Munch’s master piece next to the parking lot!
A small exhibit plate on a very short trail behind the visitor center offers some explanations of “wind holes” on sandstone. Water plays a no less important role than wind in the formation of holes and structures on sandstone—the expansion of ice when water freezes breaks chunks of sandstone apart, creating openings for wind to further sculpt into various shapes.
The power of wind can be hard to visualize if you visit the park on a calm day. However, it isn’t a coincidence that holes are heavily concentrated on sandstone surfaces facing the open valley. The rounded edges and “hollowed out” inside of the holes also point to wind at work—sand carried by wind blasted additional sand off the sandstone and finely polished the holes into what you see here.
3. Balancing Rock
Distance: 0.3 miles out and back.
Condition: well maintained.
Difficulty: very easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a hot day.
From the visitor center parking lot, look to the west for a trail sign and a very well maintained gravel trail on an almost flat terrain. Once on the trail, Balancing Rock quickly emerges from the backdrop of sandstone cliffs farther away.
The gravel trail ends in front of the rock. You may want to follow the faint use trail to loop around for views from other angles. In fact, the rock is best viewed from the far side in the afternoon.
The Balancing Rock trail also offers very good overview of the park’s namesake, Valley of Fire, which is bound by a towering limestone ridge on the south and red sandstone hills and cliffs on the north.
While driving toward the next destination, Mouse’s Tank, you’ll have a glimpse of Balancing Rock with the open valley as the backdrop. However, there are no roadside parking opportunities here, so please refrain from the urge to stop in the middle of the road for snapshots.
4. Petroglyph Canyon and Mouse’s Tank
Distance: 0.7 miles out and back.
Condition: well-marked trailhead; natural path on canyon floor.
Difficulty: easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a cool day; 1 liter on a hot day.
The name “Petroglyph Canyon” says it all. The “dancing family” glyph is located here. Proceed slowly and enjoy the discovery of glyphs, some of which are fairly faint or slightly off trail.
If you are new to petroglyphs, your eyes may need a little time to get used to finding them. As you walk down the canyon however, you’ll quickly become an expert in finding glyphs and may notice a lot more on your way back!
A third of a mile into this hike, Mouse’s Tank, a natural depression on the sandstone canyon floor blocks the passage. It is named after Mouse, a Paiute Indian outlaw in the 1890’s who hid in this area and survived on the water supply that accumulated in the tank. Although Valley of Fire only receives about 4 inches of annual precipitation, water collected in Mouse’s Tank may remain for many months.
Warning to hikers, especially those with young children: Mouse’s Tank has very steep walls and deep water at times, so don’t get too close to its rim! Also, please don’t touch the petroglyphs or leave any marks of your own.
One more reminder for your convenience: there is plenty of loose sand along the trail, so hiking boots without meshes will make your exploration easier because they are sand-proof.
Across the road from Mouse’s Tank trailhead parking lot is a picnic area with covered tables. You can find several large and complex petroglyph panels behind the picnic area.
Rainbow Vista
If you have become aesthetically fatigued of red sandstone after visiting Mouse’s Tank, refreshing alternatives are just minutes away. A little over half a mile north of Mouse’s Tank trailhead is the aptly named Rainbow Vista, where you get panoramic views of miles of rolling sandstone hills and desert floor in ribbons of red, brown, yellow, pink, purple…
Remember, although red is a most common color of sandstone in the valley, an almost infinite array of colors and hues are possible, thanks to minerals and water. Sandstone without minerals bears the same light beige color as the typical silica sand. Varying levels of iron add different shades of red and pink to it, while manganese adds a purple hue.
The next 3 miles of the road to the north cut through incredibly colorful terrains. Please refrain from the urge to stop on the narrow shoulder for snapshots. There are 3 designated parking lots along the road for your convenience.
A special note about this segment of the road: it has several dips at crossings of seasonal streams. Please be sure to follow the warning sign and slow down at the dips. Once I overlooked a sign, and my car bumped so much at the dip. That heavily scratched the underside of the front bumper and the oil pan. Don’t repeat my mistake!
5. Rainbow Vista Trail
Distance: 1.75 miles out and back.
Condition: mostly well-marked.
Difficulty: easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a cool day; 1-1.5 liters on a hot day.
Caution: low popularity; not recommended for solo hiking because it is unlikely to find help in case of any mishap.
Rainbow Vista Trail starts behind the picnic tables near the Rainbow Vista parking lot. Follow the trail marks, and you’ll soon reach a small patch of open desert surrounded by sandstone hills of red and beige colors.
Here, two trail marks about 15 feet from each other point to different directions—the one on the left points straight ahead and the one on the right points to the right. This is because there is a small loop trail in the open desert.
I recommend that you follow the loop clockwise by entering the trail straight ahead, and then hike toward a camera sign for terrific views of colorful sandstone hills.
One of my visits to this area was near dusk. And I was lucky enough to spot a herd of bighorn sheep near the camera sign. Maybe the unpopularity of this trail makes the area more attractive to the sheep? If you are into wildlife, you may want to try your luck here, especially around sunrise and sunset!
Hike farther along the foot of the sandstone hill. You’ll reach a sign pointing to Fire Canyon Overlook (not the same as the next roadside feature). The trail extends between red sandstone hills and ends abruptly at a cliff above Fire Canyon. Do not attempt to descend into Fire Canyon from here.
Fire Canyon Overlook
After departing from Rainbow Vista and before heading into the rainbow terrains to the north, you may want to take a quick side trip for excellent views of Fire Canyon by turning right onto a newly paved spur road, which leads to a main overlook point at its end.
Some people even choose to hike along the 0.75 mile spur road for more views. However, this is not sanctioned by the park. And you should never come onto the pavement as you hike. Beware not to slip off when wandering to the canyon rim—loose gravels on hard rock surfaces do make it slippery!
There are no trails for descending from the overlook or the spur road into Fire Canyon. A descent here is highly dangerous because of slip hazards.
Silica Dome is the prominent high point less than half a mile to the southeast of the overlook. For a 360° panorama of miles of colorful terrains from its summit, take the hike described below.