In shortThe Mouse's Tank trail is a 0.75-mile round trip from a parking lot north of the Visitor Center on White Domes Road, also signed Mouse's Tank Road. It runs up Petroglyph Canyon, where prehistoric carvings sit on the sandstone walls, and ends at a natural water tank that can hold water for months after rain.
0.75 mileround trip on sand
2,500 yearsage of the carvings
85 F (29 C)park's hiking cut-off
from $129guided hike, 5 hours
What the Mouse's Tank trail in Valley of Fire actually involves
The route is 0.75 mile there and back on the official park figures, and it finishes at Mouse's Tank itself, a natural basin in the sandstone that can keep water for months after rain. The park brochure explains the name: an outlaw used the spot as a hideout in the 1890s. Everything between the parking lot and the basin is Petroglyph Canyon, and the park describes the trail as following the canyon past prehistoric petroglyphs to the water tank.
Treat the mileage as a floor rather than a ceiling. Park documents put the stretched-out feeling of Valley of Fire trails down to loose sand and rough ground, which is why distances here read shorter on paper than they walk, and on this route the sand runs from the lot to the basin. Allow more time than the number implies, because the panels on the walls slow you to a stop repeatedly.
Of all the short walks in the park, this is the one to do first if rock art is the reason you came. Atlatl Rock, on the west-side loop road, holds carvings including a depiction of the atlatl spear-throwing tool, but it is a single roadside wall. The canyon gives you a continuous route with panels on both sides.
| Detail | Official figure or description |
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| Distance | 0.75 mile round trip |
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| Route | Petroglyph Canyon, out and back |
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| Ends at | Mouse's Tank, a natural rock basin |
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| Trailhead | White Domes Road (Mouse's Tank Road on some signs), first pull-out north of the Visitor Center |
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| Parking | Petroglyph Canyon lot at the Mouse's Tank trailhead; designated lots only |
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| Summer closures | Not on the 15 May to 30 September closure list, and under the park's one-mile threshold |
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Where to look for the Valley of Fire petroglyphs
Look up as you walk. The carvings sit on the smooth vertical sandstone faces along both sides of the canyon, and plenty of the panels are well above head height on surfaces nobody can reach. Start each scan just above the sand and lift your eyes as you go. The canyon narrows and bends, so turn around every few minutes and check the walls you have already passed; several panels only line up with the light from the far side.
Signing does not do the work for you. In a University of Nevada, Reno Extension survey of park visitors, clarity of signs and markers tied for the lowest-rated item recorded, at 81.4 per cent, alongside the upkeep of historical and cultural features. Nobody stands in the canyon pointing things out, and the panels are not individually labelled.
On the age and the attribution, Nevada State Parks is specific: the park's petroglyphs were carved by the Basketmaker culture about 2,500 years ago, with Early Pueblo peoples following later. The park asks visitors not to touch the carvings and not to climb on petroglyph surfaces anywhere in the park, which includes the slabs beside the trail that look like a convenient step up for a photograph.
Guided Hike in Valley of Fire, Departing Las Vegas
A 5-hour walking-focused trip from $129 with a professional guide who points out the panels you would otherwise walk straight past.
★ 5.0/5 · 1,696 reviews
What the sand and the heat do to this walk
Sand is the whole character of this walk. The floor of the canyon is loose underfoot, which makes the pace slower than the distance suggests and turns the return leg into more work than you expect. Closed shoes are worth it; sandals fill up within the first few minutes.
There is no shade to sit in once you are past the trailhead, and the canyon walls hold heat. Nevada State Parks does not recommend hiking at all above 85 F (29 C), and summer highs here commonly exceed 100 F and can approach 120 F, against a winter range from freezing up to about 75 F (24 C). The park authority names spring and autumn as the preferred seasons to visit.
This trail is not on the list of routes closed from 15 May to 30 September, and at 0.75 mile it sits under the park's one-mile summer threshold. That does not make it a summer outing. The park's own line is that heat is dangerous even on short walks, so length is no protection. Hydration and electrolyte replacement are described as critical, and because water supply inside the park is limited, visitors are asked to use it sparingly, which means carrying what you need from town.
Walk it early. Day use runs sunrise to sunset, trails are closed from sunset to sunrise unless you are at a park-approved event, and the first hour after the gates open is when the canyon is coolest and the sand is still firm.
Driving to the trailhead from the Visitor Center
The trailhead sits north of the Visitor Center on the park's north road, White Domes Road, which some signs call Mouse's Tank Road. It is the first confirmed pull-out as you drive north from the Visitor Center junction, before Rainbow Vista, the Fire Canyon Road spur and lot P3. The road runs 5.5 miles at 25 mph, roughly 20 minutes to the far end without stopping.
The marked lot is the only legal place to leave a car on this stretch, because the park allows no parking on road shoulders anywhere inside its boundary, and with annual visitation approaching a million the lots serving the better-known trailheads are taken well before midday. Stop at the Visitor Center first if you want current conditions: the desk is staffed from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, holidays can run to different hours, and the people there will tell you what the canyon is like that morning before you set off.
Two calendar points decide your date. Monday to Thursday the Interstate 15 side of the park is shut: construction of an extra entrance lane and a second fee booth closed the West Entrance on those four days from 3 August 2026, work expected to run through the end of 2026, so a midweek drive to this trailhead begins at the East Entrance on State Route 169 or State Route 167 and takes longer. Nothing in the park is reachable at all between 1 and 14 December, which in 2026 means Tuesday 1 December through Monday 14 December, with normal operations back on Tuesday 15 December 2026.
Taking a guide up the canyon instead
A guide changes this walk more than it changes most trails in the park, because the panels are easy to miss entirely. Someone who has walked the canyon dozens of times points at the wall, names what you are looking at and gives you the Basketmaker and Early Pueblo context on the spot, rather than leaving you to scan sandstone and hope.
Of the tours on this site, the guided hike from Las Vegas is the one that puts you on foot: 5 hours, from $129, rated 5.0 ★ (1696 reviews), with pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, a professional guide, bottled water and snacks, a walking level graded to the option you select, and a look at the Visitor Center if the timing allows. Readers who would sooner take the canyon in from a vehicle seat, as one name among the roadside formations, have the small group half day trip instead: 6 hours, from $99, rated 5.0 ★ (4125 reviews), several pick-up and drop-off points, a deli-style sandwich, snacks, water and Valley of Fire State Park admission on the inclusions list.
Check two things before you pay for either one. The first is your date, which needs to avoid 1 to 14 December 2026, when all commercial activity in the park, guided tours included, is prohibited. The second is your weekday, since a Monday-to-Thursday departure comes in from the east side.
- Guided hike from Las Vegas: 5 hours, from $129, 5.0 ★ (1696 reviews), hike level set at booking
- Small group half day trip: 6 hours, from $99, 5.0 ★ (4125 reviews), park admission included
- Both list a full refund when cancelled at least 24 hours ahead of the scheduled departure time
Questions people ask
Are there restrooms at the Mouse's Tank trailhead?
Yes. The park lists a shaded picnic area with restrooms near the Mouse's Tank trailhead, one of five such day-use areas in the park alongside Atlatl Rock, Seven Sisters, the Cabins and White Domes. It makes a sensible stop before you drive further north up White Domes Road, where facilities are thinner. Water inside the park is in limited supply, so top up before you arrive.
Can I bring my dog on the Mouse's Tank hike?
Dogs are allowed in the park but must be on a leash no longer than six feet. The Visitor Center is off limits to them, with service animals the one exception. Bear in mind the sand holds heat and the canyon has no shade, which is the real limit on taking a dog up this trail.
Will my phone work in Petroglyph Canyon?
Plan on no signal. Official park information puts possible reception at the entrances, Fire Canyon Overlook, parking lot P3, the White Domes lot and the Atlatl Rock platform, and nowhere else. The Mouse's Tank trailhead is not on that list, and the canyon walls do not help. Save maps, sunset times and anything else you need before you leave the Visitor Center.
Are drones allowed above Petroglyph Canyon?
No. The ban on remote-controlled aircraft, drones included, applies across the whole of Valley of Fire. For photographs of the panels, work from the trail and the canyon floor, and keep off the rock: the park asks visitors not to touch the carvings or climb on petroglyph surfaces.
Is there a longer hike beyond Mouse's Tank?
Nevada State Parks runs advanced off-trail ranger hikes, and one published route starts beyond Mouse's Tank and covers 4 miles with 600 feet of gain. It is limited to experienced hikers aged 10 and over, places are limited, and you book by email to park staff rather than online. The park notes the perceived distance on that route is about double the actual figure.
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