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Ken Lund
Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
View from Elephant Rock
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Dennis Begin
Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
Elephant Rock
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Dennis Begin
Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
Ancestral Puebloan home
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Mark Byzewski
Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
Petrogylphs
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Ken Lund
Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
Elephant Rock
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Day Trip to the Valley of Fire - NV
Petroglyphs
Story by Dennis Begin
My wife and I love Las Vegas, although we are not avid gamblers. There is something about the Strip, the shows, restaurants, casinos, and so much more, that draws tourists to the city.
After a couple of days, there is also a need to escape the neon lights and seek the solitude and tranquility of the Mojave Desert. In 2010, we first visited the Valley of Fire and discovered a valley so brilliantly coloured it appears to be aflame. The valley is a Nevada State Park of 14,115 ha (34,880 ac) with a paved 17 km (10.5 mi) road from the west to the east entrance.
The valley is located off Highway 15, approximately 88 km (55 mi) north of Vegas. Take Exit 75 and drive through the Moapa Indian Reserve on Highway 169. As you enter Nevada’s oldest and largest state park (1935), the sandstone rocks turn a beautiful red colour. The colour is created by iron oxide, limestone and shale conglomerates. The black colour is desert varnish coming from the manganese. The rock formations were created over 150 million years ago, caused by shifting sand dunes, followed by folding and faulting, and finally by natural erosion. As for the individual rock formations, they are only limited by your imagination. Some names include Arch Rock, Beehives, Elephant Rock and Seven Sisters. If the rock formations appear familiar, it is because you’ve seen them before in films including ‘The Professionals’, ‘Total Recall’ and ‘Star Trek Generations’.
The Valley of Fire is a pure delight for snowbirds. Temperatures in the winter months range from just above freezing to 24˚C (75˚F). There are two campgrounds with 73 sites. The sites have some amenities and are occupied on a first come, first serve basis. There are also facilities at Overton Beach, as well as two RV parks in nearby Overton, 13 km (8 mi) to the north of the park. On our first visit, we boon-docked on a cliff overlooking the Moapa Valley and were treated to a nasty sand storm that evening.
Our second trip to the valley was only a day trip, making four stops along the way. The first stop was the Visitor and Interpretive Centre, which has exhibits on geology, ecology and history of the valley. After paying a small park fee, we headed for the main viewpoint at the Rainbow Vista and the White Domes Road, with a beautiful view of white and multi coloured sandstone rocks.
Our second stop involved a short, 0.8 km (.5 mi) hike to Mouse’s Tank, a natural rock basin that collects water and was used as a hideout by Little Mouse, a Paiute Indian in the 1890’s.
Next stop was the area around Atlati Rock. Take time to climb the stairs and view the 3000-year-old Indian petroglyphs. An atlati was a predecessor of the bow and arrow, a notched stick used to throw a spear. The Atlati Campground is located near this location.
We finished the day with a visit to the Lost City Museum in Overton, where an actual archaeological site of the early ancestral Puebloan Indians is found inside the museum. A reconstruction of the Pueblo Grand de Nevada, home of the original Indians, can be viewed on the grounds of the museum.
The day went by so quickly that we had to save the Seven Sisters, the Balanced Rock, the cabins, and the petrified logs for our next visit to the valley that is always on fire.