Overview

The route to Sandstone Arch is a delightful hike in the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area. There are two regular routes into Hidden Valley: a shorter route over a steep, rocky ridge (7.4 miles round-trip to the arch) or a longer route up a narrow, winding canyon (8.3 miles RT). Both routes converge in Hidden Valley and follow old roads to the arch. Making a loop using both routes adds about 0.6 miles to the total hike.

Inside Hidden Valley, the area is broad and relatively flat, which makes for easy hiking on old roads. Off the roads, the soil has a high percentage of sand, which makes off-trail walking a bit harder. Red and white sandstone crags dot the valley, and the entire area is overseen by dark limestone cliffs of the Muddy Mountains. Native peoples used the area, so keep an eye out for their handiwork.

Link to route map or elevation profile.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a safe hike with no unusual hazards. There are places where someone could fall and hurt themselves, so be extra careful along edges.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This route goes into designated Wilderness, so pay particular attention to respecting the land. This area is little used and nobody will find you out there if you need help, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Cell phones don't work in this area.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located on the north side of the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area, about 1.5 hours north of Las Vegas near Valley of Fire State Park.

From Las Vegas, drive northbound Interstate 15 for 33 miles to Exit 75E (Table 1, Site 1027). Turn right onto Highway 169 and drive east for 3.5 miles to Bitter Spring Backcountry Byway Road (Site 1028). Follow the Byway to Colorock Road, and then Colorock Road to the Ridge Trailhead (Site 1034) or the Wash Trailhead (Site 1035).

The Hike

From the Ridge Trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 01), the route follows the Hidden Valley Overlook Route to the overlook (Wpt. 04), then continues over the ridge on the old ranch trail. The trail joins an old road (Wpt. 05) and continues into the bottom of the valley where it hits the broad, sandy wash that drains all of Hidden Valley (Wpt. 11). At this point, the Wash Route joins the Ridge Route.

From the Wash Trailhead (Wpt. 06), the route follows the Colorock Cabin Route to the cabin (Wpt 08), then the route drops into the wash (Wpt. 09) and runs upstream into the narrow limestone canyon. The route follows the canyon, winds around, clambers over and around a few boulders, and eventually runs out into Hidden Valley (Wpt. 11).

The old road runs nearly straight southeast to an intersection (Wpt. 13). Here, the road to the east climbs out of Hidden Valley, crosses over the ridge, and runs down to a trailhead off the Bitter Spring Backcountry Byway.

Continuing southwest, the old road crosses a deep wash. Just before the wash (Wpt. 14), a faint two-track road forks to the left and runs more due south. This is the route to Muddy Peak.

A short distance past the wash, the old road passes a side road (Wpt. 15) that runs northwest, then bends southwest and runs out to the west edge of the valley (Wpt. 24).

Continuing southwest, the old road passes a faint two-track road to the east (Wpt. 16). This faint road connects to the road to Muddy Peak.

Just beyond the faint road, the main old road passes a sandstone crag, the southeast corner of which was a Native American shelter site. Bits of charcoal, stone flakes, and pot shards can be found, but surprisingly, no artwork. This would have been a nice place to stay when the mornings were cool, but the afternoons were hot.

The old road wraps around the south edge of the sandstone crag and runs to the west, then turns southwest and crosses another deep wash.

Beyond the wash, the old road runs along the east side of another sandstone crag, then continues to the southwest. Hiking through this area, another sandstone crag can be see to the south and a bit to the left of the old road. This is the crag that holds the arch.

Follow the old road until it is convenient to leave the road (Wpt. 17) and hike towards the west side of the crag. The arch is on the northwest corner of the crag, but it is more visible from farther around the west side (Wpt. 18). There is no obvious way to climb into the arch, so enjoy the scene, revel in the grandeur of wilderness, and wander back to the trailhead.

Before heading back, consider visiting an interesting tinaja atop a sandstone crag across the valley to the east of the arch. The cross-country route climbs past interesting sandstone outcrops, traverses rolling country, crosses the old two-track to Hidden Peak, and arrives at the sandstone crag. The south end the crag is an easy walk up. There are three major tinajas atop the rock (Site 21), and it is hard to imagine how so much water collects with such a small run-off area.

On the way out, consider making a loop using the route not used on the way in. For example, hike down the wash to Colorock Cabin, and then follow roads back to the Ridge Trailhead.