Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire is the oldest state park in Nevada, and a great place to see 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs and explore the red sandstone formations created during the age of the dinosaurs. Bring your camera to photograph the landscape while hiking this rocky landscape formed over 150 million years ago. The red sandstone gives off an incredible light, which makes the grey rocks nearby appear turquoise. Great place to camp while watching incredible sunrises and sunsets! Photographers will go crazy for this place, especially in spring, when a variety of wild flowers bloom. Skip the Las Vegas strip and head straight to this magical place!

Get out of Las Vegas and visit The Valley of Fire, Nevada’s oldest, largest and first state park. The park is a geological beauty and easily accessible at just a 50-minute drive from the Strip. There you’ll find 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyphs, petrified areas, the remains of cabins from the 30′s and unique natural formations created by the winds passing across the lands. Driving into the desert in the comfortable Pink Jeep Tour Trekker, a specially customised luxury Chrysler with reclining leather seats, we followed the highways, the Pink Jeep purring along. There was orange as far as my eyes could see, with browning or sparsely coloured bushes dotted across the expanse. Driving through the lands I could understand why people chose to film here – Total Recall, Star Trek Generations, and Domino, to name a few - it looked like another planet. I was fascinated by the petroglyphs, written by the Atlatl, many still left undeciphered. Due to the dry weather many of the petroglyphs don’t need to be covered up and can be left in their natural state, though some are covered by a thin layer of plastic if within arms reach just in case people want to graffiti them.

Rainbow Vista marker: “You are looking across 150 million years of time. The great maze of canyons,domes, towers, ridges and valleys before you are carved from sand deposited during the time when dinosaurs ruled the earth. This is wild, virtually untouched wilderness. It is an ‘Adventure in Color’ for you to experience by car and on foot.”

Leave the neon lights of Vegas and vist one of the Nevada’s oldest and largest state park. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyphs

Further up this colorful mountain are hieroglyphics preserved and on display. A staircase is available to take visitors straight to the sight.

Beneath Atlatl Rock in the Valley of Fire are a a wide range of delightfully strange desert plants growing from soft orange sand.

Fuzzy, colorful little plants found at the base of Atlatl Rock in the Valley of Fire.

After hiking all day, we took a break to lounge around and relieve ourselves in the sprawling desert behind the Seven Sisters monument.

We hung around long enough to catch the sun setting behind the Seven Sisters monument.

The breath-taking view from Site 22 deep within Valley of Fire’s walk-up campground.

One of the most spectacular scenic routes I’ve ever traveled through is Rainbow Vista in the Valley of Fire. There are many mountains and formations larger than this one, in shades of red, yellow, pink, and purple.

If you like attractions with a ghost town feel - like I do - these cabins are a must-see. They were built to house campers and rangers way back in the early 1900s when Valley of Fire State Park first opened.

This park is so beautiful. We were lucky enough to explore it on an early May afternoon when the sun hit the terrain perfectly. The park is about an hour from Vegas so if you are in the area, take the afternoon off and explore it. Note: Bring your own water and snacks because there is not a store once you get onto Valley of Fire Highway. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

The park is about an hour from Vegas so if you are in the area, take the afternoon off and explore it. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

While driving through the park, we saw a dirt road and decided to explore. We did this a lot and easily stayed in the park for about 5 hours yet still didn’t get to explore all of it. It is definitely worth the time to wander about. The park is about an hour from Vegas so if you are in the area, take the afternoon off and explore it. Go! http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

This park is amazing. You can easily spend the whole afternoon here, as we did (we stayed until we ran out of daylight). My last picture of the day was this beautiful sunset over the desert. I recommend staying the extra few minutes to watch the sun set. The park is about an hour from Vegas so if you are in the area, take the afternoon off and explore it. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

My family spent two days exploring the Valley of Fire State Park. The Wave Trail stood out as a favorite. It starts by the “Rock of Gibraltar” and meanders down to rock formations with wave-like patterns in red, pink, purple, yellow, and white.

The huge rock formations at the Valley of Fire State Park are breathtaking, but small wonders along the trails can be delightful. I found this imprint of the last rain in a dry wash, looking like a miniature cliff.

On a December hiking trip we came across two wedding parties at the Valley of Fire State Park. Atop the Raven’s Nest rock (similar to the formation in this photo), up to three helicopters can land for a private wedding ceremony amidst views of Lake Mead and the park’s mountains.

I love Vegas. I try to make a trip there a couple times of year to soak up all of the energy. This trip, however, I wanted a twist on the usual sort of energy. Located just about a 45 minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip is this stunning State Park.This park is a fabulous place for a hike in the spring or winter. Bright fiery red sandstone formations seem to just explode out of the desert. Created over 150 million years ago, this area was once a seabed and home to dinosaurs. Millions of years later, ancient people took up residence as evidenced by the plethora of petroglyphs. There are several different hikes that can be taken- ranging from gentle rock climbing to hiking through sand and valleys through cut rock. The well preserved petroglyphs are scattered throughout various hikes and they became a sort of treasure hunt for us- who could find them first?! After spending about 4 hours exploring in this park, we ventured back to Las Vegas where we had delicious and authentic Mexican cuisine. Lindo Michoacan boasts the best Mexican food in Las Vegas and I couldn’t agree more. Our grande margaritas and queso fundido with mushrooms and freshly made tortillas hit the spot. I ordered the Pollo Rebeca which was made with cactus, jalapenos and onions. Scrumptious and much earned after my hike. Full of flavor, fun atmosphere and off-the-strip reasonable prices- we will be sure to repeat this experience!