Valley of Fire Arches
There are many arches in the Valley of Fire State Park. Below are the ones which have been named and there are many which have not been named (or discovered).
Note, the following list is comprised of online resources and information from the Natural Arches Society.
Below you will find the arches that we have published articles about and then below the list are the arches we have not visited to date.
We beg you to PLEASE be careful around these formations to keep them for others to share. Unfortunately, we lost Windsong to either vandalism or weather (I THINK vandalism is what happened from what I have heard from others but not confirmed.).
Angled Arch – Located near Elephant Rock.
Arrowhead Arch – Arrowhead Arch has a span of 4 feet. Going west. just past the parking area for Elephant Rock, park on the south side of the highway alongside the Arrowhead Trail marker. The arch can be seen low down about 100 yards away to the south.
Arrowhead Arch II
Arrowhead Arch III
Arrowhead Arch IV
Barbell Arch I – See the directions to Ephemeral(2). Continue on up-canyon for another 5 to 10 minutes after reaching Ephemeral and observe Barbell Arch on the left. It is about 15 ft. above the wash and set-back about 40 ft. The span is about 6 ft.
Barbell Arch II
Box Arch
Cabins Arch
Candy Arch
Cliff Arch – A couple of miles inside the West Entrance to the Park a loop road turns to the left (see Park Map). Arch Rock and Atlatl Rock are both marked on the Park Map. Cliff Arch is only a quarter of a mile southeast of Arch rock. It is not directly on the cliff face running southerly from Arch Rock but is just around a corner in a short side canyon. The Arch has an estimated span of 20 ft. and a height of 30 ft. Ted likes to call it “Arch on the Rocks”
Delicate Arch – The small and “delicate” arch is located near the campgrounds with an estimated height of 2 meters.
Eagle Head Arch – Eagle Head Arch has a span of 11 feet. From the parking area for Elephant Rock, take the Arrowhead Trail. The trail goes around the rock mass at the back of Elephant Rock. Watch for a small jughandle-type arch off to the right (north) across a small valley. Once found, leave the trail and walk towards it. Another small arch should be visible just past it. Just past this arch, walk up a small side canyon, and Eagle Head Arch will become visible high up and straight ahead. Climb the slope towards the arch keeping to the right when the arch becomes hidden from view. As you round the top, the arch is to the left. The route passes the small Wild Thing Arch on the left just before reaching Eagle Head Arch. Fire Ant Arch is alongside Eagle Head. NABSQNO 11S-727472-4034736
Elephant Rock II – See Lizard Arch. Elephant Rock II has a span of 8 feet. It is further around to the left of Lizard Arch, about one or two hundred yards away, and is visible from the road.
Ephemeral Rock
Ephemeral Arch 2 – Located above the rim of Fire Canyon. Neither a Rainbow Bridge nor a Corona, it was nevertheless a unique natural formation and a good example of the many other natural arches in the Park It was amazing that such a delicate object could have lasted as long as it did! It fell during the week of May 23, 2010. On a geological time scale, its life would have been much less than one day.
Fire Ant Arch – The two spans of this double arch are 7.6 feet and 6 feet. Located in the Elephant Rock area, see Eagle Head Arch.
Fire Canyon Arch
Four-Way Arch
Gateway Arch – Gateway Arch has a span of 3 meters and is located near Rainbow vista in the White Dome area.
Grey Arch
Hidden Route Arch – Located in the White Domes area.
Honeymoon Suite Arch
Jack O’Lantern Arch – This arch is in the area across the road from the eastern entrance to the Park. There are many arches in this area; and with a little luck, one might stumble upon this one.
Jagged Arch – Just to the north side of the hill with Purple Sage is a bit of a plateau a little above Fire Canyon wash with Jagged Arch. It’s not really big but it is impressive. The afternoon provides the best light.
Little Dumbo Arch – Hike about 1/2 hour north of the east entrance/fee station to the rocky ridge with the big cove with Pavilion Arch, etc., and climb to the top of the cove. On the north side of the ridge is a matching cove with several arches on the edges also. In the middle of the cove toward the bottom is a large rock with a little Dumbo Arch. It is about 2 1/2 ft X 15 ft. and is best lit in the morning.
Little Elephant Rock Arch
Lizard Arch – Lizard Arch has a span of 8 feet. It is across the road (south) from Elephant Rock.
Lofty Arch – Located in the White Domes area.
Mini-Delicate Arch
Mouse’s Buttress Arch – This arch is named after Mouse’s Tanks which are nearby. Drive to the Mouse’s Tanks trailhead on the road north of the Visitor Center. There are many petroglyphs along the 1/4 mile walk to a junction where the trail turns sharply left. The trail ends at the Tanks 60 ft. from this turn. Instead of taking the turn to the Tanks, go straight ahead up a brushy side canyon for about 90 ft. Mouse’s Buttress is on the right, hidden in between short sandstone fins. It has a span of about 9 ft.
Natural Arch (collapsed in 2010)
Open Wide Arch – This arch is in the upper end of Fire Canyon at 36deg.26.522’N, 114deg.29.520’W. Its span is 15 ft. with a 7 ft. vertical opening and 20 inches thick. The photo was taken in the morning.
Pagoda Arch – In the western end of the Park, take the loop road to Arch Rock (see the Park map). Three-tenths of a mile from the western end of this loop road, look to the NE to see Pagoda and Slide Boulder Arches. One can scramble up to these arches with a little effort.
Palette Arch – This arch with a span of 2 meters is located in the White Domes area.
Parallel Arch – This double arch spans 6 meters and is located to the west of the White Domes area.
Par Three Arch – From the Visitors Center, take the road north to Mouse’s Tank and take the Mouse’s Tank Trail to its end and then follow the stream bed eastward. There is a nice arch on the left in a tenth of a mile followed by a side canyon coming in from the south. Follow the side canyon for a quarter-mile to where it comes down from the east. This arch is on the right side of that section in a deep stream bed. There are several other arches along the way.
Pavilion Arch – From the East Entrance Fee Station, walk north cross country for a half-mile to a ridge of rocks with a large cove on the near side. The arch is located at the top of the cove at its east end along with numerous other arches.
Picture Window – Located in the White Dome area with a span of 25′.
Pretzel Arch (Lighthouse Arch) – Ted says this is his “two for” arch (two for the price of one). That’s Double Pretzel Arch in the foreground and Lighthouse Arch in the background. They are on the slope of the cove below Pavilion Arch.
Puppy Dog Arch – This arch is on the same hillside as Par Three Arch but on the left (north) side. It is out in the open toward the top of the hill. It has two 5 ft. arches between the “legs”. Confidentially, the snout is a couple of feet behind the head, but it is in the same rock.
Purple Sage Arch – Starting at the cabins view area, take the trail going north over a hill, then down to the east to the wash of Fire Canyon. Across the wash is a large hill. On the NW side of the hill is this 27 ft. X 8 ft. arch known as Purple Sage. It’s maybe halfway up to the top and requires a bit of scramble to get to. It is difficult to photograph without a good wide-angle lens and afternoon provides the best light.
Quad Arch – This arch and several smaller ones is/are due south of the east entrance station. To get to it you have to go around either end of the rocky ridge along the highway to get to the center of the rock mass to find a nice jughandle arch. The jughandle is at the top-end of a small wash heading south. Quad Arch is about 0.1 miles downstream at the very top on the right of the wash at 36deg.25.404′ N 114deg.27.428’W.
Quarter Arch – Either that is an awfully large coin, or this is a very small arch. Actually, this formation does not qualify as an arch, but it looks more like an arch than some real arches. Based on the size of a quarter, the “arch” has less than a one-foot span. It is located in a side canyon along the paved road to “Mouse’s Tank” (see the map in the hand-out available at the Visitor’s Center).
Seahorse Arch – With a height of 2 meters, this arch is located near the loop trail of White Domes.
Serpent Arch – Using Little Dumbo Arch as a guide, hike across the cove to the east to the cliff-line there. Look for the largest side cove in the cliff-line and go to the SE corner and climb the cliff. The arch is near the top out on the west face of the cliff line. It has been estimated at 8 ft.X14 ft. and the best light is in the morning.
Skinwalker Arch
Skyline Arch
Slide Boulder Arch – Not a true arch, but a large boulder that slid off the face of the cliff leaving an opening between the boulder and cliff. See Pagoda Arch for directions.
Thing Arch – This arch as a span of 2 meters and is located in Fire Canyon.
Three-Way Arch
Thunderstorm Arch
Top of the World Arch
Turret Arch – Located near Elephant Rock with a high of 4 meters.
Twisted Dish Rag Arch – This small arch with a 2.4-meter span is located in Fire Canyon.
Unnamed – This arch has a span of about 10 feet. Robert O’Connell recently supplied the author with the following directions to this arch: “Start at the eastern entrance to the Valley of Fire and start walking on the trail to Elephant Rock. After only a very short distance a trail branches off to the right. Follow this trail to the right and walk around to the back of the large rock outcropping that is now on your left. Once at the back of the outcropping, the arch is located 300 feet or so to the right of the trail. The arch is not visible from the trail, and the only way to find it is to walk around until you stumble across it.”
Unnamed 2 – This arch is in the area across the road from the eastern entrance to the Park. There are many arches in this area; and with a little luck, one might stumble upon this one.
Unnamed 3 – This arch is in the area across the road from the eastern entrance to the Park. There are many arches in this area; and with a little luck, one might stumble upon this one.
Unnamed 4 – This arch is in the area across the road from the eastern entrance to the Park. There are many arches in this area, and with a little luck, one might stumble upon this one.
Unnamed 5 – This arch is in the area across the road from the eastern entrance to the Park. There are many arches in this area, and with a little luck, one might stumble upon this one.
Unnamed 6 – From Elephant Rock (right along the road) which is a short distance inside the east entrance to the Park, hike due north about a tenth of a mile toward the telephone (electrical?) wires and then look due east. From this vantage point, Un-named Arch 6 is visible in the distance about a half-mile away. In hiking over to it, one will pass Un-named Arches 15, 14, 13, and 12 in that order.
Unnamed 7 – About 2 miles inside the west entrance to the Park, a road turns left and makes a loop back to the main road. Along this loop are “Arch Rock” and “Atlatl Rock” (see Park Map). Near the western end of the loop, hike to the west to find the Arch not far from the road.
Unnamed 8 – From near Elephant Rock (right along the road) which is a short distance inside the east entrance to the Park, hike due north about a tenth of a mile toward the telephone (electrical?) wires and continue north to a flat area with sandstone hills on both sides. Proceed between the hills and soon the Arch will be visible on the right (east) at the base of the hill.
Unnamed 9 – About 2 miles inside the west entrance to the Park, a road turns left and makes a loop back to the main road. Along this loop are “Arch Rock” and Atlatl Rock” (see Park Map). Near the western end of the loop, hike to the east to find the Arch not far from the road.
Unnamed 10 – This arch is in the same area as Un-named Arch Nine.
Unnamed 11 – This arch is in the same area as Un-named Arch Nine
Unnamed 12 – This is the last arch one comes to in hiking over to Un-named Arch 6 from a distant viewpoint. See Un-named Arch Six
Unnamed 13 – This is next to the last arch one comes to in hiking over to Un-named Arch 6 from the distant viewpoint. See Un-named Arch 6.
Unnamed 14 – This is the second arch one comes to in hiking over to Un-named Arch 6 from a distant viewpoint. See Un-named Arch 6.
Unnamed 15 – This is the first arch one comes to in hiking over to Un-named Arch 6 from a distant viewpoint. See Un-named Arch 6.
Unnamed 16 – From the Fee Area at the east entrance of the Park, hike NW following the cliff-line and continue on the north-facing side for a total of one-half mile. The arch is a bit of a climb up the talus and rocks. There are a number of arches along the route also. The photo was taken in the afternoon.
Watch Tower Arch – Just a little less than a quarter-mile east of Jagged Arch is this 6 ft.X 6 ft. arch.
West Entrance Arch – Look to the left as you approach the west entrance from inside the Park.
Whale Eye Arch
White Domes – The arch is located in the White Domes Area of the Park right along a maintained trail (see the map in the hand-out available at the Visitor’s Center).
White Domes II – This appears to be a triple arch (see Trinity Arch in Capital Reef). It is located in the White Domes area of the Park (see the map in the handout available at the Visitor’s Center).
Valley of Fire Arches
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