The Fire Wave Trailhead is 8.5 miles from the west park entrance on Valley of Fire highway. At Mouse’s Tank Rd, turn left. You will pass the Visitor Center and Balancing Rock on the right which is constructed on the Moenave & Kayenta formation, of the Triassic period, before the road climbs up past the Aztec Cliffs.
This scenic road is full of rock formations and color that will dazzle your eyes. You will pass trailheads, restrooms and a picnic area along the way. There is adequate parking on both sides of the road, provided you arrive early!
Deb and I have done this trail twice. First time in March, second time as part of the 7 Wonders loop trail in December. Both were morning adventures to enjoy the early light for photography and to beat the crowd. These popular trails get crowded in a hurry!
The trail meanders down through boulders for a short distance. This area has the most elevation change with a few small hills. As you skirt around Gibraltar Rock, the trail will become rockier, then opens up into a huge flat colorful rock surface that is peppered with small rocks that make you wonder just where they came from. Soon you are amidst a parfait of rock formations aptly named the “Fire Wave”. Stripes are something you don’t see too often in nature, If you weren’t allowed to walk right across Fire Wave, you might think the stripes were painted.
Here, you have the option of going back the way you came, or following the dry wash upstream through Pastel Canyon to the road and back to the parking lot and if you are feeling adventurous continue across the road and continue up the wash on the 7 Wonders Trail. We will share our experiences about that trail in another hiking travelogue.
In Summary, we hiked a little over 2.5 miles with about 200 feet of elevation gain and by the time we got back to the trail head / parking area, it was full!
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