Sight · Valley of Fire State Park
A roadside cross marks a sobering story from 1915.
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.
Recorded for this area
Natural Arch Trail: Look for the Small Windows“You're nearing the Natural Arch trailhead, where a sandy canyon walk leads past small windows high in the rock walls. The original namesake arch has collapsed, so choose this for the canyon rather than one big arch.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Clark Memorial 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
Clark Memorial is a small cross and stone marker just south of Valley of Fire Highway near the park’s east entrance. It’s a short stop for a sobering piece of local history, not a place to build an outing around. No dedicated parking point or approach is marked for the memorial. Park only in designated areas; don’t stop along the highway shoulder. If you can’t reach it from legal parking, skip it.
The inscription identifies John J. Clark as a New York sergeant who served in the Civil War. It says he was wounded, fell ill with typhoid, and was discharged in 1863. Clark later traveled by wagon from Bakersfield toward Salt Lake City, stopped near this spot in 1915, and was found on June 30. Thirst is only the inscription’s presumed cause of death.
The small cross stands against red ground, low desert brush, and rocky slopes. Include some of the hillside in a photo; a tight crop loses the setting that makes this modest memorial distinctive. Low evening light can bring out warmer reds and golds, though there’s no need to time a separate trip around it.
Wildlife
638 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
ModerateCharlie's Spring Trail5 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA sandy wash ends at a small, palm-dotted spring in red rock.
ModerateNatural Arch Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awaySmall window arches high above a sandy canyon wash.
EasyArrowhead Arch Trail0.2 mi · 15 min · 0.3 mi awayA brief rock scramble to a double-opening sandstone arch.
EasyEastern Petrified Log Trail0.1 mi · 15 min · 0.4 mi awayA quick, easy walk to a protected petrified log
EasyElephant Rock Direct Route0.2 mi · 20 min · 0.7 mi awayA quick desert walk to a sandstone arch shaped like an elephant.
EasyElephant Rock Loop Trail1.2 mi · 45 min · 0.7 mi awayA sandy loop passes Elephant Rock and the red hills beyond.
EasyThe Cabin Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.8 mi awayWalk to 1930s CCC cabins, then pause at the shaded picnic area.
EasyBalancing Rock Trail0.3 mi · 15 min · 2.5 mi awayA short walk to a sandstone stack with an eyelet.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayEast Petrified LogA quick stop for wood turned to stone 225 million years ago.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayElephant RockA quick walk to an elephant-shaped sandstone arch.
Entrance station · 0.7 mi awayEast EntranceThe east-side gate, with Elephant Rock just beyond
Picnic area · 0.8 mi awayLone Rock Picnic AreaA big solitary boulder, with petroglyphs tucked across the lot.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayHistoric CabinsCCC sandstone cabins make a shaded picnic stop.
Picnic area · 1.8 mi awaySeven SistersA shaded roadside picnic area beneath seven red sandstone towers.
Historic marker · 2.5 mi awayNevada’s First State Park Historical MarkerA quick marker stop for the park’s early history and Arrowhead Trail.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayMouse's TankA short canyon walk where petroglyphs lead to a rain-fed basin.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.
