Natural Arches Trailhead is located on Valley of Fire Highway in the easternmost part of the park. From the west park entrance you will pass the Mouse’s Tank Road turnoff where the Visitor Center is located. These significant park scenic sights; the Seven Sisters picnic area, Lone Rock, and the Historic Cabins are all on the roadside, and the Trailhead is only a few miles up the road, not far from Elephant Rock.
Parking for this Trailhead is along the highway. There are a few spots at the service road entrance but signs make it clear the maintenance yard it is not intended for public use! As soon as we entered the sandy wash, we headed upstream toward Fire Canyon. This trail is not marked anywhere along the way, but it didn’t take us long to figure out that it just follows the main wash as far as you want to go.
Small side canyons can ALWAYS easily distract Deb and I, many quickly turned into dead ends, but not until we explored them thoroughly. Walking on the canyon’s soft pink/white sand floor was a bit laborious, but the frequent detours provided us chances to climb some of the ridges and do some rock hopping. Even in December, surprisingly there was quite a bit of vegetation and the cottonwoods were still boasting their bright green coat against the trunks silvery bark.
The wide wash narrowed considerably after about a mile, and we were upon three small rock scrambles to navigate. With each turn of the canyon the shapes and colors of the rock continue to amaze. As the canyon walls got taller, we were keeping our eyes peeled for arches, as there are several along the route. The largest arch, for which the trail was named, succumbed to erosion and collapsed several years ago, Deb and I felt confident we spotted its original location. The trail opened up and the wash was once again much wider. In the distance you could see the Silica Dome and the cliffs that shape Fire Canyon.
We found the perfect scenic spot for a break and a snack. Without a distinct trail end, this seemed an ideal opportunity to turn around and head back. One day, we plan to hike down through the uppermost reaches of Fire Canyon down to where we stopped today.
Going downstream was just as easy as going up, but the sand was giving me a pretty good workout, Deb was navigating with ease. She marched along and I was looking for solid ground outside the wash whenever possible. After 4.25 miles we were back to the trailhead.
The immersion into this expansive dry wash and red rock canyon on this early morning adventure was truly a sensory overload experience. And to NOT see anyone the entire morning was the icing on the cake.
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