Parking
Use the designated Natural Arch Trailhead pullout across Valley of Fire Highway from Clark Memorial. Follow the short dirt approach to the wash; do not park on the roadside. Pullout capacity was not found.
Overview
About Natural Arch Trail
Why go
- Small erosion windows and layered canyon walls
- Choose a short wash walk or continue farther
Heads up
- Loose sand and two rock spillovers slow the going
- No definite endpoint; the namesake arch has collapsed
Natural Arch Trail is an out-and-back up the sandy wash of Fire Canyon. The park lists 2.5 miles; this entry treats that as the total there-and-back distance. Allow about two hours. Deep sand and two early rock spillovers make it slower than the mileage suggests. Go for the small window arches and changing canyon walls, not a big arch at a fixed end: the original namesake arch has collapsed.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Valley of Fire map
Full mapElevation1,679–1,749 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Valley of Fire alerts
- ClosureWest Entrance closed Monday–ThursdayThe West Entrance is closed Monday through Thursday; use the East Entrance on those days.Official details
- CautionFire restrictions in effectFire restrictions are in effect throughout Nevada State Parks, including Valley of Fire; follow them to help prevent wildfires and protect lives, property and natural resources.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Valley of Fire Tour Guide
Your drive to Natural Arch Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Natural Arch Trail: Look for the Small Windows0:00 / 0:26
“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 as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Valley of Fire Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- East Petrified Log: One Trunk, a Short Stop
- Historic Cabins: Sandstone Shelters
- Elephant Rock: Find the Silhouette
- Brittlebush’s Silvery Leaves
- 34 audio storiesacross Valley of Fire’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mojave Desert Tortoise, Sidewinder, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 23 trails, 28 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Natural Arch Trail
Getting into the washUse the Natural Arch Trailhead pullout across Valley of Fire Highway from Clark Memorial.
Use the Natural Arch Trailhead pullout across Valley of Fire Highway from Clark Memorial. Follow the short dirt approach to the wash and head north. The wash itself is the route. Near the first mile, a rock spillover interrupts the sand; you can scramble over it, then another obstacle appears a few hundred yards farther. The footing stays uneven and sandy, so expect to watch each step.
Look up for the small archesSmall erosional windows sit high above the wash, becoming more frequent beyond the second…
Small erosional windows sit high above the wash, becoming more frequent beyond the second obstacle. Some are freestanding; others are narrow holes in the canyon wall. They keep enlarging through erosion and can eventually collapse. Look up as you walk, and frame a window with some surrounding wall so its height is clear. Bighorn sheep have been reported near the pullout and farther up the wash, but sightings aren't guaranteed.
Choose your turnaroundThe wash has no definite end. The park map lists a 2.
The wash has no definite end. The park map lists a 2.5-mile outing but doesn't name a turnaround; longer walk accounts continue farther up the canyon and return after 4.2 or 5 miles. This route shows the shorter mapped corridor. If you keep going past it, choose your own turnaround and don't expect a signed endpoint or one surviving destination arch.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Valley of Fire
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.
