Sight · Valley of Fire State Park
A quick Scenic Loop stop for a red sandstone arch.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Valley of Fire Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Valley of Fire State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Valley of Fire audio tourRecorded for this place
Arch Rock: A Quick Scenic Loop Stop“You're coming up on Arch Rock, a sandstone opening beside Scenic Loop. It's a quick look with almost no walking, though the arch is smaller than many people expect.”
Plays as you drive up to Arch Rock in the Parkwolf Valley of Fire Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Arch Rock is a natural opening in the red sandstone beside Scenic Loop, near Atlatl Rock and the separate Arch Rock Campground. The park map calls it a large arch visible from the road, so this is a quick look rather than a hike. It's easy to fit in while driving the loop; if you're choosing only the biggest stops, keep expectations modest, since several visitors find the arch smaller than they expected.
The arch sits among layered, ridged sandstone. It can be easy to miss from the road, so scan the formations as you come through this stretch. For a photo, step back enough to include the wider ridge around the opening; that gives the arch a clearer shape than a tight crop.
Wind and rain slowly wear away the material that binds the sandstone grains, leaving the arch increasingly fragile. The opening will eventually collapse. Nevada State Parks prohibits climbing on arches, so enjoy it from the ground. Use designated parking only; the park prohibits stopping on the roadside.
Wildlife
647 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsMojave Desert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsSidewinderMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsBlack-tailed JackrabbitMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRingtailMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
19 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Valley of Fire. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModeratePinnacles Loop4.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayFollow a sandy wash into a pocket of red sandstone spires.
EasyPetrified Logs Loop Trail0.3 mi · 20 min · 0.7 mi awayA short loop with fossil wood and the story behind its grain.
ModerateProspect Trail4.6 mi · 3.3 hr · 0.8 mi awayAn open cross-park hike over a red-rock pass into a striped wash.
ModerateOld Arrowhead Road6.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 1 mi awayA long desert crossing on an old road marked by arrowheads.
EasyBalancing Rock Trail0.3 mi · 15 min · 2.3 mi awayA short walk to a sandstone stack with an eyelet.
EasyMouse’s Tank Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 2.5 mi awayLook up as you walk: petroglyphs mark a sandy red-rock canyon.
EasyRainbow Vista Trail1 mi · 45 min · 3 mi awayA sandy canyon walk to a rugged overlook above Fire Canyon
ModerateSilica Dome Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 3.7 mi awayA short scramble climbs to a wide view over Fire Canyon.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayAtlatl RockClimb above the road for petroglyphs framed by red sandstone.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayArch Rock CampgroundSleep beneath the sandstone with tables, grills, and water on site.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayPiano RockAn unsigned sandstone landmark beside Valley of Fire’s Scenic Loop.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayAtlatl Rock CampgroundSleep among red sandstone and start the park day here.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayFire Cave (Windstone Arch)The arch fell; the honeycomb sandstone is still worth a short look.
Visitor center · 0.7 mi awayValley of Fire Visitor CenterStart with the sandstone story before exploring the red-rock country.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayBeehivesA quick walk among red domes striped with ancient dune layers.
Campground · 0.8 mi awayGroup Camping AreaThree reservable sites each hold up to 45 people.Parkwolf’s Valley of Fire ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
