Nevada · Hiking

Petroglyph Canyon Trail

Petroglyph Canyon TrailPhoto: UncleVinny, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
0.8 mi
round trip
96 ft
climb
2,047 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Oct–Apr
best months

Petroglyph Canyon Trail is an easy hike of about 0.8 miles in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, which the state's park and recreation agency manages. The route is an out-and-back, climbing from a low point of 2,024 feet to a high of 2,047 feet. It gains about 10 feet of elevation, with the steepest part at roughly 0.28 miles in, where the grade reaches about 2%. The most comfortable months for a visit are spring and fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at a similar elevation run from highs around 79°F in April to about 83°F in October, while July and August average highs near 105°F. Mouse's Tank Trail sits just 0.1 mile away, and Rainbow Vista Trail is about 0.7 mile off. Fire Canyon/Silica Dome and the Petrified Logs Loop Trail lie within about 2 miles.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Oct–Apr

    Best time to visit Petroglyph Canyon Trail

    Best months: October–April. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      58° / 40°

      4 wet

    2. Feb

      63° / 44°

      4 wet

    3. Mar

      71° / 50°

      3 wet

    4. Apr

      79° / 56°

      2 wet

    5. May

      89° / 65°

      1 wet

    6. Jun

      100° / 76°

      1 wet

    7. Jul

      105° / 82°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      104° / 80°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      96° / 73°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      83° / 60°

      2 wet

    11. Nov

      68° / 48°

      2 wet

    12. Dec

      57° / 39°

      3 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Valley Of Fire Sp, NV, 0.8 mi away at 2,000 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Mouse's Tank TrailPhoto: UncleVinny, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mouse's Tank Trail

Next door

Easy out-and-back hike to historic petroglyphs in red rock country.

Prospect TrailPhoto: Shaan Hurley from Portland OR, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Prospect Trail

~3 min drive

4.31-mile out-and-back Nevada trail with accessible hiking and scenic views.

Old Arrowhead RdPhoto: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Old Arrowhead Rd

~5 min drive

Remote 14-mile out-and-back desert trail in Nevada's high country.

HIKE

Bitter Springs Trail

~18 min drive

32.84-mile out-and-back hike in Nevada with 2,853 ft elevation gain and loss.

Rainbow Vista TrailPhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rainbow Vista Trail

~1 min drive

Short out-and-back Nevada hike with scenic views and easy access.

Radio Crystal Mine TrailPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Radio Crystal Mine Trail

~36 min drive

6.62-mile out-and-back hike in Nevada with 832 ft elevation gain/loss

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Trail 1 (Main Loop)

~9 min drive

14.73-mile loop in Nevada with 744 ft gain and 732 ft loss.

Fire Canyon/Silica DomePhoto: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Fire Canyon/Silica Dome

~2 min drive

Easy 1.44-mile out-and-back desert hike to Silica Dome in Fire Canyon.

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Bitter Springs Trail

~14 min drive

5.2-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 404 ft elevation gain

Petrified Logs Loop TrailPhoto: jasonwoodhead23, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Petrified Logs Loop Trail

~3 min drive

0.52-mile out-and-back hike in Nevada with 73 ft of elevation gain.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors