Hike-in Required
Yes
Open Year-round
Yes
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Mouse’s Tank is accessed via a short out-and-back hike. It is a popular area within Valley of Fire State Park and features impressive sandstone rock formations as well as some Native American petroglyphs.

The trail takes off from the parking area and quickly turns sandy. In fact the remainder of the hike is through often deep sand - despite the short distance your lower legs will get a workout!

Be on the lookout for petroglyphs, which will be on the left side of the trail as you are heading out. This small area of Native American rock art is estimated to be 2,000-4,000 years old. Please do not touch the petroglyphs, as oils from your skin will harm the rock art.

Near the trail’s end you’ll take a sharp left and end up at Mouse’s Tank - a natural basin in the rock that collects water after each rainfall. The tank is named after the Indian Mouse, an outlaw who hid out in this area and used the tank as a source of drinking water.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

State Park Fee

Pros

Intriguing rock formations and petroglyphs.

Cons

Hike is through deep sand.

Pets allowed

Allowed with Restrictions

Features

Vault toilet
Historically significant
Family friendly
Geologically significant
Native artifacts
Big vistas

Location

Nearby Adventures

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