Valley of Fire

All of my children have left now that Christmas is over. My brother stayed with us a few more days, as he usually does this time of year. This has given us some one on one time, which means so much to me.

My brother had never been to Valley of Fire, which is about an hours drive south from our house, and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The weather was cloudy and cold (for this area), but we voted to tour the park anyway.

Valley of Fire is the oldest and largest state park in Nevada and was dedicated in 1935.
I think this park is like a little unknown secret. Many people have heard of nearby Zion National Park, or Bryce. I think Valley of Fire is just as spectacular, in it's own way. Definitely worth visiting if you are in the Las Vegas area and you want to get away from the crowds.

You can read more about the park HERE. It covers 36,000 acres with nicely maintained roads, a visitors center, camping grounds, and well marked hiking paths. Picnic tables are available near most of the trail heads, and this is a great place to bring your lunch.

I would suggest visiting in the either the spring, fall or winter.

During the summer the temperatures reach up to 120 degrees. (Thus the name Valley of Fire).

The park is known for it's red sandstone formations. When the sun shines on these rocks, they can look like they are on fire.

Iron Oxide (rust) colors the rocks.

Since it was a cloudy day, the colors do not show up as well in these pictures. This one ribboned rock had many different colors, starting with orange at the top, moving into gold, purple, gray and creams.

We went on some easy hikes along the drive. This one took us through a slot canyon.

Sandstone is easily erodible, and the holes come from years of wind and rain.

Atlatl Rock

3000 year old petroglyphs dot the area. I have a large picture of this rock over my dining room table.