Overview

Valley of Faces, out in White River Narrows Archeological District, is a narrow canyon bordered by volcanic cliffs that are fractures into vertical pillars and eroded into fanciful shapes. With some imagination, a variety of human and animal faces can be seen in the stone.

The hike follows Valley of Faces Road, a maintained sandy road that runs up the wash and normally is suitable for 2WD-HC vehicles until the canyon narrows. After that, when the canyon is too narrow to turn around a vehicle, the sand gets deeper and looser and 2WD vehicles are in grave danger of getting stuck.

Valley of Faces is a delightful place to hike and experience the deep canyon. Watch for flowers growing on the rocks, owls peeking out from dark places, Canyon Wrens singing from the cliffs, and perhaps B2 Stealth Bombers chasing one another around the sky. The best of the canyon ends at the Stone Cathedral, a stunning rock wall that has inspired humans since the beginning of time.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a pretty safe hike, but it can have deep soft sand in the narrows that can trap 2WD vehicles.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This road goes into remote areas, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Cell phones don't work in this area.

Getting to the Trailhead

Valley of Faces is located in the southeast part of Basin and Range National Monument, about 2 hours (131 miles) northeast of Las Vegas driving directly, or about 25 minutes (23.8 miles) north of the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 318.

From Las Vegas, drive north on Interstate-15 for 21 miles to Highway 93. Turn left onto Great Basin Highway (Hwy 93) and drive north past the towns of Alamo and Ash Springs (top off the gas tank here) to the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 318.

Turn left onto Highway 318 and drive west then north for 23.8 miles to White River Narrows Road on the right. The intersection is marked only by a paved apron and a cattle guard.

Drive east on White River Narrows Road for 250 yards to a fork. Stay right onto Valley of Faces Road and continue at most about 0.6 miles in a 2WD vehicle. Park here; this is the trailhead. The point is to hike through the canyon, so don't try to drive too far.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the hike starts up Valley of Faces Road. At first the canyon is fairly open with lots of shrubs along the edge, so keep an eye out for little birds, especially White-crowned Sparrows during winter.

Soon the canyon narrows (Wpt. 02) and hikers find shade as well as towering cliffs and eroded boulders. Ahead, the canyon sweeps left then right and enters the narrowest section (Wpt. 03). Above there, the canyon opens slightly, and hikers pass the site where ranchers sometimes erect a temporary fence spanning the canyon with a gate. Pass through the gate, but be sure to leave it open or closed, whichever way it was found.

A bit farther up the canyon, hikers pass a quail guzzler (Wpt. 04) on the left. The wash then winds up against a tall cliff on the right with an unusual structure. One of the columnar blocks tipped over, but did not fall, creating a finger of stone sticking out from the cliff face.

After passing the "stone finger" cliffs, the canyon sweeps left, and hikers get the first view of the Stone Cathedral ahead on the left. This towering cliff has inspired humans from the beginning of time, and the ancients used the stone canvas to peck and paint messages to the gods.

The Stone Cathedral is a good place to stop for a snack before turning back towards the trailhead (Wpt. 01). Valley of Faces Road does, however, continue up the canyon. The upper canyon is never again narrow, but it passes open areas and cliffs, and it remains scenic.

At about 1.3 miles from the trailhead, the canyon forks. The road goes right while a narrower canyon goes left. Staying right, at about 1.6 miles out, the canyon walls lay back. In the more open canyon, the road passes a corral at about 2.2 miles out, passes a very old corral at about 2.3 miles out, and then it ends at a T-intersection 2.4 miles out.

Adventuresome hikers could turn left at the T-intersection and walk north 0.6 miles to another wash. Turning left down the wash, they could return 0.9 miles to Valley of Faces Road where the canyon forks at 1.3 miles out, making a nice 5-mile partial loop.

For photos of the descent, see Valley of Faces -- Return to the Trailhead.