Come visit amazing Valley of Fire State Park with us!
Just an hour from Vegas
An hour north and east of Vegas is a hidden gem of a state park you need to visit. Valley of Fire State Park is gorgeous and full of things to see and hikes to accomplish. You can see the park in a full day. Come along with us and see what we got to experience in our day in the park.
A quick history
These lands were used by Native Americans for 1000’s of years and for many purposes. There are petroglyphs (carvings in rock) all around the park showing various things in their lives. The Puebloans lived in the area from AD 500-1100 but relocated after a drought and later the Nuwuvi, or Southern Paiute came to the area and are still part of the local community.
Valley of Fire State Park got its name in the 1920’s after travelers started to visit when cars and trucks made this kind of exploring more possible. The park was officially opened in 1933 and legally recognized in 1934. It’s currently Nevada’s largest state park.
All the info you need first
We headed out on a Friday morning trying to avoid weekend visitors. The trip from Vegas is easy and scenic. There are not a lot of services within 15 miles of the west entrance so make sure you have gas, water, and snacks for your day. There are no services in the park. The entrance fee is $10 for Nevada residents and $15 for out of state visitors. This is a steal in my book. Please remember that hiking is not recommended in the summer months. The park is open sunrise to sunset.
The Beehives
We entered from the west entrance on Valley of Fire Road and the first thing you come to is the area called Beehives. There are several rock formations that really do resemble beehives. This area has a lot of rocks to check out, climb on and explore. We spent a good 30 minutes just climbing and looking at all the different formations. Definitely don’t miss this stop.
Atlatl Rock
Continuing on you will come to a left turn to a few neat sites. The first is called Atlatl Rock. This has a stairway up to see some nice petroglyphs. The day we were there some students from UNLV working on the site, so we were unable to climb up. We were disappointed but they were great and pointed us to several other sites around the side and back of the huge rock structure that had equally nice petroglyphs. Definitely take the time to walk all the way around Atlatl Rock and even up the large rock around behind it for amazing views
At Atlatl Rock there are a LOT of covered picnic areas if you are looking for a great spot for lunch. Valley of Fire State Park has a lot of great picnic areas, and they also have plenty of bathroom facilities which is always nice to know in advance.
Arch Rock
Continuing on this little detour you will come to a neat little Arch Rock. You can park your car and walk around the rock formation. It’s a five-minute walk and worth it to check out this cute little arch. No climbing on it please.
Camping and more
Continuing on there are a couple camping areas and you can find more info about them at the park website. We turned around to head back at the campgrounds and happened upon 3 amazing Big Horn sheep. We kept our distance, but you can tell they are very used to people. They were not bothered by us at all. It was so beautiful to watch.
Visitor Center
We headed back out to the main road and continued about a mile to the left-hand turn onto White Domes Road heading north. There are main roads in the park. Right away you will come to the Visitor Center (open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and the walk over to Balanced Rock. It’s worth checking out the rock, but I will say it’s even neater looking coming from the other side when you are driving back. We saw a bunch of young Big Horn sheep right at the Visitor Center.
Amazing hikes!
Continue on White Domes Road (Scenic Drive). We drove all the way to the end to hike and then stopped at the other different sites on the way back. If you are just in the park for the day and want to see maximum beauty on a hike you need to take The Fire Wave, White Domes and Seven Wonders Loop. It was phenomenal.
We absolutely loved this hike that combines 3 different trails. There are views like from “The Wave”, slot canyons and so much more. The slots were full of water in a couple places but just stop and look around and you will find a way to go up and around the water. It makes it even more fun. The beauty is amazing.
Fire Canyon Road
As we drove back from hiking, we took a left and drove down Fire Canyon Road to amazing views at the overlook at the end. We walked out to a little overlook area and sat for about 15 minutes just enjoying the afternoon scenery. This spot is worth the drive and it’s great to just take a moment and just take in what you are looking at. Beautiful!
Rainbow Vista
Continuing back, we parked and walked to Rainbow Vista via this trail. If you don’t have time, you could miss this spot but it’s an easy 1 mile walk and the view at the end is pretty. However, the hikes at the end of White Domes Road are much more impressive in my opinion. Along those lines, we also skipped the Mouse’s Tank hike because we had already checked out a bunch of petroglyphs.
Elephant Rock
Heading back to Valley of Fire Road we took a left and headed toward the East entrance. We went all the way to the exit and hit the sites as we drove back. At the east entrance get out and take the short hike up to Elephant Rock. This is a cool little rock feature, and you will have fun trying to find the elephant in the different angles. This hike continues around this area of rock features in a loop and it’s a nice easy little hike.
Petrified Rocks
Continuing west you can stop at the Petrified Rocks. This is actually one rock and it’s interesting if you have never seen a petrified rock but if you have been to Petrified Forest National Park you can skip this for sure. I love to see petrified rocks, but this one is fenced off and you aren’t able to get close to it like you can in the National Park. If you will be traveling through eastern AZ, check out the National Park.
Historic CCC cabin
The next stop is the Historic Cabins on the right. These cabins built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) are fantastic. In the past they were rented out to camp out in overnight and now they are kept up as a historic site. They are well worth checking out and exploring.
Seven Sisters
Our last stop before heading out of the park was to explore the area around the Seven Sisters rock formations. These are on the left on your way west. You can’t miss them. There are covered picnic sites near each one which are nice but also take away from the beauty of the spot and your ability to get a picture of the Seven Sisters all together. However, this spot is still worth a stop and it’s definitely a good spot to sit and have a snack!
Ending our amazing day!
We saw all these sites and hikes in one day and were able to get back to the Vegas area for dinner. It was a spectacular day. I would love to have this spot nearby to explore it over and over. Check out our past adventures here. I would love it if you could like and share this blog and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn, and X.
Keep exploring,
Stephanie
Valley Of Fire State Park is one of our favorite places to go when we visit Vegas. It has such a beauty and diversity. It can easily be done in a day but is a place that I could visit time and time again.
Yes I can totally see that.