USA Valley of Fire

There are probably thousands of sandstone arches scattered throughout Valley of Fire State Park. Unlike Arches National Park in Utah, the arches in VoF are mostly very small. This one is is about four feet high from the bottom of the arch to the floor but provides a welcome shield from the sun on a hot summer day and is a great spot for a snack. Rainbow Rock is less than a 10 minute walk from here.

As usual, early morning/late afternoon works best. Avoid the middle of the day.

From Parking Lot 3, there is some very cool stuff besides it’s principal purpose serving the Fire Wave trailhead. If you park in the main area on the left side of the road, walk to the right end of the lot (on the opposite side of the road from the Fire Wave Trail) and make your way down the wash. After just a couple of minutes the narrow drainage opens up and the path splits. The left fork leads to Rainbow Rock. The right fork leads past several very small arches. Continue past them and follow the path around to your right. The arch pictured will come into view within 5-10 minutes.