Valley of Fire State Park, Moapa Valley, Nevada
You may have heard of The Wave, in the Coyote Buttes North region in the southwest, on the Utah/Arizona border. It is not a hiking trail, but it is a huge rock formation in the shape of – you guessed it – waves. It is beautiful shades of reds and corals with strands of white throughout. And I have never seen it in real life. It is a permit-only recreation area, where the demand is very high. Over 300 people apply for the permits each day, and only 64 win. 48 of that 64 are awarded early, and 16 are awarded the day prior. It is another one of those places where people have stories about having applied for permits for the last 60,000 years and they have never won.
The Valley of Fire, however, requires way less than 60,000 years to gain access and I have been told for a long time is an easy comparison to The Wave. Pink waves of beautiful sandstone in the Mohave Desert. Yes. Please. The park is Nevada’s first state park and is open every day (except Christmas), and for a small entrance fee, makes for an incredible day of solo adventuring for this girlladywomanperson who likes to hike and take photos.
Located in the Mojave Desert, Valley of Fire State Park is home to 46,000 acres of red Aztec sandstone, formed by shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. The stunning landscape glows red for miles into the horizon and is particularly beautiful at sunset. With elevations ranging from 1,500 feet to 3,000 feet, here are some popular Valley of Fire hikes that are easily accessible to visitors who want to explore Valley of Fire from Las Vegas as a day trip, or for those who are camping in the park.
https://travelnevada.com/parks-recreational-areas/valley-of-fire-state-park/
After my adventurous day at the Red Rocks National Conservation Area, in Las Vegas, I spent the following day at The Valley of Fire. It made sense because the rest of my nights will be spent in Kanab, Utah, and The Valley of Fire can easily be made on the way. It also made sense simply because it was what I wanted to do. I packed up from the hostel and was on the road over an hour before sunrise. The timing was perfect.
The Valley of Fire is open for day use from sunrise to sunset, unless you have a campground reservation, but it is only staffed during normal business hours. Day passes are $14/military, but I think a civilian pass is only one more dollar. I could be wrong. I am not looking up that for you. There is an automated machine at the entrance that only accepts cards…I am not sure anyone still uses cash anyway.
The Valley of Fire is not a huge place and it is laid out quite nicely. The maps that are available online are accurate and user friendly, which helps a bunch.
Arch Rock
I arrived to the park from the West Entrance. It was extremely quiet, which I hoped would set the stage for the entire day. It didn’t. Everything in the park is well marked and I knew exactly where to go to see what. There is a sign for a scenic loop, and I suggest you take it. More than anything, it shows you how incredible the campsites are. Like…really incredible. They were so beautiful that it was worth saying “like” in the previous sentence. The scenic loop also showcases this arch. It is actually pretty small – I could sit crisscross applesauce in it, but not stand. You heard me right – crisscross applesauce. I liked it because it looked like a heart to me. Yesterday. Today, while editing photos and writing this, I think maybe I was slightly insane yesterday. Anywho, it is my blog so I can post what I want.
Atlati Rock
The other landmark on the scenic loop is this incredible spot called Atlati Rock. Hooo-eee. Petroglyphs! But, if you are like me, you might have to tell yourself to stop being a whiny bitch and get your tired ass up the stairs. After all the climbing and scrambling yesterday, on top of doing all this driving in a completely ridiculous car (Dodge Challenger), and perhaps having completely neglected any semblance of nutrition, my legs did not want to do the thing. We got there, though. And it was worth it. There is something about knowing how before white people came here to ruin everything that there were incredible people here on this same ground I walk that gives me big feelings, but then to get to see their actual work in the exact place they wanted it…wow. It helps me remember how small I am in the big scheme of things, but then also… how if this website is my version of their petroglyphs, I should probably delete this entire project.
Petrified Logs
Across the road from the scenic loop exit is a sign for petrified logs. Petrified logs are fossilized logs and these ones are from 225 million years ago. There is a small loop that is on rough terrain, but is still pretty easy to see these logs. The logs are protected by a short chain-link fence and signs reminding you to not be an asshole.
When I have the privilege of visiting places with historic evidence like this, I always wonder what it felt like to be the person/people who found it. I think I would just be done. “I have arrived. My work is complete. This is awesome.” A lot like tonight when I settled into my hotel room and ordered a pizza. After days of Lara Bars and grapes, I have succumbed to not just ordering a pizza, but I HAD TO PICK IT UP. Madness. Self care unlocked. I have arrived. My work is complete. This is awesome.
Beehives Rock Formations
Once you leave the petrified logs, you can continue down the main road by turning right out of the parking lot, but I went left to find the Beehives Rock Formations that I missed by doing the scenic loop. The Beehives are sandstone rock formations that resemble (surprise!) beehives. The rock formations are quite close to the group campground, and easily accessible, so I suspect they have experienced better days.
White Domes Loop Trail
The park is kind of shaped like an upside down letter T. About halfway along the main road that connects the east and west entrances, there is an intersection to go up White Domes Road. This road is where the magic happens. The road is a curvy one that has incredible views the entire way up to the White Domes Loop Trail. This ridiculous car I am driving can go very fast, very quickly, and because I had arrived to the park so early I was alone for several hours. I was basically in my own music video of The Eagles song, “Take It Easy.” But, the joke is on me, because I take not one damn thing easy.
The White Domes Trail is at the very end of this road. I had spent yesterday waddling through sand for hours, so why would I not do it today? It really was just so beautiful. It is like you are on another planet. Or, I guess, a Western? This is the location to many cinematic masterpieces, like Total Recall, Star Trek, and Transformers. You do not think those are masterpieces? Hm, well, your mom does not think YOU are a masterpiece.
This is a piece of Hollywood left behind from the movie “The Professionals”
Once I climbed down the canyon and passed the brick wall in the photo above, it felt like I was about to be facing a slot canyon. The walls were getting taller and the sand softer. And I was right.
I have this irrational fear of facing a slot canyon and then not fitting through. I always think, “I should have told someone where I am.” And, “I really need to get search and rescue insurance.” And then I walk through it just fine. I told you I take nothing easy.
Once I successfully fit through the canyon, the trail again opened up to this incredible landscape. I took so many photos. I think my photographer friends and family would really have the best time out here putting my iPhone photos to shame. There is so much dimension and color and sunshine. Basically, it is just like me.
Fire Wave/Seven Wonders Trail
I think others often consider this the best trail here, but I think it is White Domes because there was less people. This is the trail that is fairly compared to The Wave, as I mentioned in the introduction. It is different from White Domes in that hiking is on a lot of slick rock and less on sand. The sandstone here has dramatic shades or reds and corals, with white clearly woven through.
The beginning of the trail has plenty of greens, but as the sandstone foundation increases, the plants decrease. I got to broad expanses of the red and white sandstone landscape quite quickly. And, unfortunately, the people. I had been alone all morning because apparently this is where the people were. Bastards. At one point a lady realized that I, like everyone, was trying to take photos, and said, “Oh! I am sorry!” I told her to not worry about it because I would just erase her from the photos. She looked so offended. This gave me a lot to think about. Well, not a lot. Maybe about three seconds.
Most people left the Fire Wave Trail to return to the trailhead, but I continued to connect to the Seven Wonders Trail. The regained isolation in this incredible wilderness was worth it. Much of the trail is not a trail because it is on the rock, but even just a slight ability to navigate ought to be enough to successfully find the way. I think? I dunno. Not caring if I get lost certainly helps my ability.
Continuing this way instead of being a loser who only hiked to the Fire Wave brought me to another slot canyon. Part of it had some deep water, so in addition to the fear of not fitting into the canyon, I also had to hoist myself out of it and then back down into it in order to avoid it. I do not usually care about wet shoes or feet or anything, but I remind you that I have a terrifying image of basically being like Violet from Willie Wonka, who expands in a slot canyon, gets stuck, and has not search and rescue insurance. Add the image of quicksand to that and then we have the entire reason why I did not test the water. Literally. Because of this, though, I have gained some confidence in myself because holy fuck, did you hear me when I said I had to hoist myself in and out of the slot canyon?
Rainbow Vista
This location is quite sweet. It follows the Fire Canyon Overlook, which is a drive-up lookout spot. I do not love my photos from it and I have no way to explain it that allows me to say “That’s what she said” to myself, so I am skipping it. The Rainbow Vista, though, is a nice name for a bunch of things, including a sweet ass trail that thrusts you into a canyon view. Like cleavage. Or even The Valley of Fire. The trail is short, but aggressive, with a lot of sand and red rocks.
In addition to a bunch of big-horned sheep, this trail had 609,874 lizards running around. You know how many of any of these I got to pet? Zero.
This is the end of the trail. A beautiful view into some very rugged red rocks. It was a stark deviation from the massive sandstone slick rocks that I had been crawling over all morning. And that is how it goes and that is why I love the wilderness. It is everything – it is luscious and green and it is jagged and unable to harbor life; it is wide open with ribbons of coral and white sandstone floors and it is this.
If the wilderness can be everything, I can, too. Also, kindly tell that to my boss who politely chastised me for working while on this trip.
Historic Cabins
The Valley of Fire can be enjoyed without these hikes – there are plenty of sites to see without summoning your inner Dune character, even if I do not understand why you would not want to do that. Arch Rock, Atlati Rock, and the Beehives are some of those places. There are also places to drive to experience epic views, and other rocks marked as landmarks, as well as these old cabins.
The sign says: These three cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) soon after the Valley of Fire became a state park in 1935. They are constructed of native sandstone and were used for many years to shelter campers and travelers visiting the park. The Cabins are now being preserved as a reminder of the work accomplished by the CCC throughout Nevada under the able direction of Col. Thomas W. Miller, Nevada’s first State Park Comminssion Chariman. Approximately 9,000 persons visited the newly established Valley of Fire State Park in 1936. Today, several hundred thousand visitors enjoy the park each year.
I exited the park on the west side as I continued my journey to Kanab. This photo frame is right inside the entrance. I suppose I am supposed to be adorable and put my face in that (that’s what she said?), but I would rather punch myself in the face than do that. If you have your photo in that, send it to me. Convince me that is better. Or don’t. Maybe send it to your mom so maybe she will finally think you are a masterpiece.
