Mouse's Tank – Moapa Valley, Nevada - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

AO Edited

Mouse's Tank

Valley of Fire State Park
Moapa Valley, Nevada

Named after an outlaw who used the basin as a hideout.  

View all photos
Sun sets on the hiking trail TheColorDana (Atlas Obscura User)
Entrance to hiking trail TheColorDana (Atlas Obscura User)
vanishing times gpers (Atlas Obscura User)
to mouse's tank gpers (Atlas Obscura User)
131
143
Top Places in Nevada
Double Negative's north trench
Double Negative
Clark County, Nevada
Stokes Castle
Austin, Nevada
Eureka County Courthouse
Eureka, Nevada
 See All

The Valley of Fire is a beautiful state park full of stunning rock formations and filled with the petrified remains of plants and animals. The location has long been inhabited by indigenous populations for centuries before it was declared a state park. 

The track is named after a Southern Paiute Indian named Little Mouse, who hid in one of the water tanks in the 1890s after being accused of killing two prospectors. He was found shortly after a manhunt and it’s believed that he was killed.

Besides the natural water tanks, the trail is famous for the hundreds of petroglyphs that are carved into the west wall of the canyon, the oldest of which are well over 4,000 years old. 

Visitors with a keen eye will find a hierarchy in the petroglyphs, with those closest to the ground representing everyday activities and symbols like water. Those above are mostly dedicated to hunting and the highest layer seems to hold ritualistic petroglyphs with shamans and religious symbolism.

Know Before You Go

The canyon is visitable when inside the Valley of Fire, you have to pay to enter the park but the rest is free. Make sure to bring water, there is none available here and it can get very hot.

state parks petroglyphs legends natural wonders
Nearby
Valley of Fire
1.14 miles
Lost City Museum
7.57 miles
St. Thomas Ghost Town
8.07 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
The gorgeous formations at Valley of Fire State Park.
Clark County, Nevada

Valley of Fire

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.
Lost City Museum
Overton, Nevada

Lost City Museum

Preserving the remains of Native American cultures which otherwise would have been submerged behind Hoover Dam.
St. Thomas ruins.
Nevada

St. Thomas Ghost Town

This former Mormon settlement is reemerging from the receding waters of Lake Mead.
Moapa Valley, Nevada

Buffington Pockets

The rocks exposed at Valley of Fire State Park also occur in a much less known but equally spectacular area a few miles to the southwest.
Related Places
Ballineale, Ireland

Loughcrew Cairns

These Neolithic burial mounds and a still-intact passage tomb may have solar calendar significance on the spring and autumn equinoxes.
Overlook of Little Jerusalem
Winona, Kansas

Little Jerusalem Badlands

Once an ancient sea, this landscape of rocky ravines is filled with the fossils of ancient marine life.
Giant's Causeway Pillar Section
Charleston, South Carolina

Giant's Causeway Pillar

A stack of stones steeped in Irish folklore, much like the hero they're connected to, hide in plain sight.
Lahaina, Hawaii

Pu'u Kilea (Olowalu Petroglyphs)

Images chiseled into the basalt here date back an estimated 300 years.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web