The 40,000 acres of red fiery limestone landscape, have unsurprisingly earned the Valley Fire State Park in Clark County Nevada, its name. Formed through the shifting of sand dunes, this park is a delight for history lovers and is believed to have been inhabited as early as 300BC.
All around the park, and near the AtlAtl Rock, you will find Petroglyphs – drawings of Native American lifestyle. The AtlAtl is a spear-like weapon, used for hunting. Every year in march, there is an annual competition where participants test their skills with this ancient weapon.
The park can be covered in 2-3 hours by car or over days on foot. The park offers trails at all fitness levels with the most iconic trails being considered relatively easy – namely the Fire Wave, a rock formation with a wave like design of white and red stripes, Elephant Rock, Mouse Tank, White Domes, and Slot Canyon. This does mean that it can get quite busy at times, and catching that instagram-able moment may take a while. However trails like the Top of the World Arch are considered much harder and less occupied.
Entrance fee is $10.00 per vehicle ($20.00 per night for camping and $10 for plug-in utilities). The park is open all year round, but hiking is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. Important to note that the park can get extremely hot, so visiting in Spring and Fall is probably a good idea, as is carrying water supplies at all times.
The park has 2 campsites equipped with the necessary facilities including showers, bathrooms, water and grills. However there is one downfall, the 72 camping units are on a first come first serve basis. While Wi-Fi is available at $8 a day, phone coverage can be weak in particular spots.
The park is so vast, that the possibilities of what to do and what to see are really endless! Finding a spot that interests you is really no feat. So if you’re in Vegas, you might want to leave the rush for a couple of hours and visit this park.
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