A Day in Valley of Fire
From slot machines to slot canyons.
Just an hour outside of Vegas you can explore this desert wonderland, the Valley of Fire.
Whenever I visit Las Vegas I become completely overwhelmed after a day or so and sometimes I need to get out of town to catch a break from all the lights, noise, and craziness.
This is a super easy trip from the strip. We stayed at the Venetian and we conveniently rented a convertible from Enterprise in the hotel lobby and picked up the car just an elevator ride away in the hotel garage. And, it’s less expensive than a couple drinks!
From the strip, it’s a one hour drive to Valley of Fire State Park.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset, and a $10 park fee will gain you access to this low desert park.
There are tons of places to explore in the park. Below I’ll share how we spent our day in the Valley of Fire.
Fire Wave & Gibraltar Rock
We started the day doing a 1.5 in & back hike to the Fire Wave. We arrived at the trail around 7:00am, hiking early will help you beat the crowds, heat, and lends to great lighting. We love using the Alpenglow: Sunset Weather app to help determine golden hour, or the best times to take photos during the day.
The Gibraltar Rock can be seen through the hike to the wave. Cameron captured a photo of it with the start of the wave.
Take a Drive
I like to plan the biggest expedition in the morning, and then I recommend spend the next part of the day driving throughout the park and doing mini side explorations. Not only it a great way to explore the park in one day, but also a great way to stay cool on hot days.
Mouse Tank Road
I’m going to say the most “Insta” famous place to photograph in the park is taken off the side of the road at Rainbow Vista. Pull off the side of the road here and look south to capture this image.
ATLATL ROCK
A super fun stop, climb the metal steps 50 feet to get a closer look at the petroglyphs drawn over 4,000 years ago.
ARCH ROCK AND THE BEEHIVES
You can find Arch Rock just down the road from Atlatl Rock. The arch is just off the side of the road. Not as impressive as Arches National Park, but still pretty cool to check out, especially if you’ve never seen an arch.
The beehives can be found across the street from Arch & Atlatl Rocks, and is a neat place to get out and roam around. We enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies around the area.
WATCH FOR FLORA
If you visit this park in spring you’ll be able to spot flowers in bloom, just as we did off the Fire Wave trail. A lot of the time I go to these parks seeking out places like the wave, but sometimes the best parts come from unexpected surprises along the journey to the destination.
From the beautiful yellow desert marigold and chollas cacti.
To desert primroses that line the trails, and groupings of indigo brush mixed with desert globe mallow.
Wildflowers in the desert do not disappoint. It’s interesting to see a such rough and dry terrain bloom with life and vibrant colors.
WATCH FOR WILDLIFE
From bighorn sheep to lizards, keep your eyes peeled.
Our favorite part of exploring the park was spotting the group of big horned sheep we spotted off the side of the road early in the morning. The large group of ewes (female sheep) and lambs were beating the heat by taking cover in the shade made by the rock formations. You can see some of the lambs were being kept in tiny caves within the rocks for extra protection.
Of course you’ll encounter lizards in the desert, and we ran into a few common side blotched lizards, confirmed by the iNaturalist app.
I recommend traveling to the desert in the spring time, the weather isn’t too hot throughout the day and the flowers and wildlife are out and about. I’ve also visited in winter and it didn’t disappoint, but I think I’d avoid this place in the summer.
This is such a nice break from the city life of Vegas and great place to spend the day in nature.
Protips:
• Unless you’re really into petrified wood or if you have unlimited time I’d pass on stopping at the petrified wood locations.
• Along with wildlife, watch out for weddings, commercials, & movie shoots in progress.
• If you choose to stay closer to the park, the Moapa Valley Inn at Lake Mead is only a 20 minute drive to the park.
