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It can be easy to forget that the busy and bustling streets of Las Vegas are among some of America’s most beautiful desert landscapes. Sin City has great food, endless entertainment, and plenty of sights of its own to see, but we were blown away by what you can find just an hour away.
Valley of Fire State Park is a vast network of rocky desert just northeast of Las Vegas, close to the northern reaches of Lake Mead. The geology is spectacular, and you’ll quickly pick up on the reasoning for its name. Bright red rocks dominate the landscape, but you’ll find all kinds of other stunning colors across the park.
This place is great for a day of hiking and outdoor sightseeing, and you’ll be back in Vegas for dinner and gaming. Don’t pass up on adding some nature to your itinerary if that’s your kind of trip.
Quick Summary: Visiting Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park is about 45 minutes up I-15 from the Las Vegas Strip. It’s easily done on a day trip from there, and there’s no need to stay a night nearby unless you want to camp out. Plan to head there right after breakfast to get a full day’s worth of sightseeing.
- You will definitely need a rental car to get to the park and get around it.
- There is a small per-car entry fee. National Parks System passes are NOT accepted, but they do offer military discounts.
- Pack a lunch for a picnic, or plan to make an inconvenient diversion to Moapa Valley for food… Bring plenty of water, too – it gets very hot out here.
- There are two main roads in the park, and you’ll want to do both:
- The main road runs east to west and is called Valley of the Fire Highway: stop at the Atlatl Rock area and the Elephant Rock area.
- The north-south road is at about the halfway point and is called Mouse’s Tank Road: stop at the Visitor Center, Petroglyph Canyon, Fire Wave, and White Domes.
- There are plenty of other longer and more intense trails suited for serious hikers.
- At the end of the day, it’s most convenient to exit the park from the west side – the road leads straight back to I-15, and you’ll be back in Vegas in less than an hour.
The trails mentioned above are all easy to moderate in difficulty, and you can do them all in a day. Everything is extremely photogenic, so make sure your phone is charged for pictures.
How to Get There & Where to Stay
A car is definitely necessary to get from Las Vegas to Valley of Fire State Park, so if you aren’t driving into the city, rent one. You’ll hop on I-15 North and get off at Exit 75 for the park’s west entrance (which is faster) or Exit 93 to go through the town of Moapa Valley for its east entrance.
Park hours are sunrise to sunset. We arrived shortly after noon and found a decent line at the entrance, so plan for some potential delays. The entry fee is around $10 per vehicle (or $15 for out-of-state). They do offer a military discount, and keep in mind that this is a state park – national park passes are not valid.
You could camp at one of the sites in or near the park, but other than that, it is not necessary to stay nearby. There are plenty of options in Vegas that fit all budgets and levels of luxury. On this trip, we stayed at Marriott’s Grand Chateau, which is right on the strip and offers full kitchens and living rooms in every room. It was perfect for having lots of space and still being steps from all the casinos.
Spots to Visit in Valley of Fire State Park
The main road in the park, Valley of Fire Highway, simply runs east to west. About halfway through, the other major road, Mouse’s Tank Road, branches off to the north. This simple layout makes it easy to navigate and difficult to get lost, and you will want to see the sights on both of these routes.
Elephant Rock & Lone Rock
We entered the park from the east side, which, looking back, was inconvenient. The drive is much longer to get to that side, and if we did it again, we’d enter from the west. But, there are some great stops in the eastern part of the park, so you should definitely head that way once you’ve entered from the west.
Elephant Rock has a little parking lot very close to the east entrance. It includes some red rocks that look like a big elephant. The Old Arrowhead Historic Trail is a relatively short and easy way to see this area and is a great introduction to the park.
Next down the road is the Natural Arch Trail, but we read that the arch has collapsed, so we chose to keep going. That brought us to Lone Rock, which has a very short marked trail leading up to a stunning viewpoint. You could keep hiking into the rocky mountain valley if you have the stamina for it.
Valley of Fire Visitor Center, Balancing Rock, & Petroglyph Canyon
Soon after the above stops, you’ll find the road that cuts to the north. The Visitor Center is right there and a good stop not only for bathrooms and gift shopping, but also for exhibitions on the park’s history and natural features. From there, you can also take the quick 20-minute hike to Balancing Rock, which is just like it sounds.
The road begins to cut through a narrow canyon before opening up at the Petroglyph Canyon Trailhead parking lot. We highly recommend this as a stop, and we chose it over Balancing Rock. The hike only takes 30-45 minutes in total, but it’s worth it.
The Petroglyph Canyon Trail basically follows a red-sand, dried-up creek bed through a red-rock canyon. It’s not very difficult, but it can be hot if the sun is overhead. Expect your shoes to get sandy with fine, red dust.
You will definitely see the ancient drawings on the canyon walls made by natives thousands of years ago. It is fascinating. Of course, you will see some “newer” drawings made by idiots who can’t help themselves… but it’s not hard to pick out the authentic ones.
The canyon scenery is just as beautiful, and the trail eventually stops at a dead end, where you’ll turn back. There are bathrooms at the parking lot, and it’s a good idea to use those before continuing on.
Fire Wave & White Domes
Continuing north from Petroglyph Canyon, the red canyon walls on either side of the road will open up to a wide-open, rocky desert in either direction. At this point, we started seeing bighorn sheep! There are a few possible stops before reaching the Fire Wave parking lot, but much of this part of the road is a “no-stop” zone.
A few miles later, you’ll come to a parking lot on both sides of the road for the Fire Wave area. We started on the left side, which has a loop trail up a giant cliff. It may be steep, but it’s short and worth it. The view from the top is amazing. You’ll see the White Domes area from above up here.
On the other side of the road, there is a longer trail leading down to the Fire Wave. This multi-colored rock formation is one of the most iconic spots in Valley of Fire State Park. It can get crowded, so if you want pictures without lots of people, you could plan to do this early in the day.
Finally, if you drive just a bit further, you’ll come to the White Domes Trail. It’s the end of the road and a short loop trail through some narrow canyons. We didn’t manage to save enough time for it, but it is on our list for the next visit.
Atlatl Rock
We ended our visit on the west side of the park, but you could also start off over here. The Atlatl Rock area has a short loop road with several places to pull off. Atlatl Rock itself has a staircase up to some petroglyphs and panoramic views of the southern part of the park.
Further along the loop are Arch Rock, Piano Rock, and Fire Cave, all scenic spots to see. Across the street is Beehives, which are appropriately-named rock formations. Overall, this part of the park has very quick trails, making it a good place to start or end your day.
Conclusion: Visit Valley of the Fire
We could not have been more happy with our choice to spend a day out in nature as opposed to donating more money to the Vegas casinos. Valley of the Fire is unique, wild, and convenient, and the perfect addition to any nature lover’s visit to the city.
One full day is enough to see this place, but since we arrived later than we should have, we’ll have to plan another visit to see what we missed. That’s fine with us, because this place was incredible. We’ll add some updates when we make it back!
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