For most people, Vegas is as far as it gets from nature. With all the neon lights, skyscrapers, table games, and showgirls, this man-made paradise never fails to impress with immense sensory overload. But what if your inner longing for the wilderness wants to break free from the glitzy adult theme park once in a while?
Fortunately, one of the best answers lies only an hour away from the Strip, in Nevada’s oldest state park.
Valley of Fire is very accurately named. For one, the ancient Aztec Sandstones glow in brilliant shades of red under the sun rays, so distinguishable that the valley looks like a stretch of crimson dust from an aerial view. And two, it does also get burning hot in the summer… But three, there are limitless spots like this to show that your love is on fire!
Ready for a trip yet?
The Drive
The majority of the park’s points of interest are right off the road: arch rocks, petrified trees, petroglyphs, just to name a few. But apart from the sights, simply driving along this state scenic byway is fun on its own, with all the bends and dips that make it feel more California-like rather than Nevada. Speed limit starts decreasing at the highway turnoff and gets all the way down to 15mph in certain sections. It’d be a great place to take a sports car for a spin, although of course, we won’t endorse speeding 🙂
Photo Props
That picture above was taken on our first trip together to Vegas. En route to get married the day after, we wanted to find somewhere nearby with a unique backdrop to take some engagement photos, and Valley of Fire was that perfect location. With all the whimsically shaped rock formation, choices of photo props are endless. And if you prefer a gentle touch of civilization, there is also “the cabins”, a decommissioned camping shelter constructed with the exact same sandstones found elsewhere in the park. No wonder it blends in so beautifully with the flaming hills behind.
We love red (this is Valley of Fire, after all), but don’t worry if you are into more colors. The landscape and color change on every turn, from cliffs to flatlands and from red rocks to rainbow hills, especially on the road leading to the Fire Wave. There is always something for everyone.
Hiking Trails
A couple of long trails traverse almost the entire valley and are most commonly done with car drops. For a quick and easy day trip, our favorite short hike is the White Domes Loop.
Located on the northern end of the valley, this trail takes only about half an hour but passes through some truly otherworldly rock formations on the valley floor. After descending a slightly steep and very slippery sandy hill, you’ll first see some ruins of a hacienda, a memorial of the golden days of movies and commercials on this site. The path then meets Prospect Trail at the bottom where you get to walk through a narrow canyon like this:
Prospect Trail keeps going for much longer and requires occasional scrambling. White Domes Loop follows this trail for only a short distance, before looping back on a much flatter ascent than the hill at the start.
Valley of Fire may not be a large park, but the list of things to do goes on. Don’t miss this hidden gem next time you hit the casinos in Vegas!
