Explore Valley of Fire: Scenic Drive and Hike

Absolutely beautiful. Great place for photos. Some really cool formations that won't be around for many more years are a must see. Our tour guide knew all the great photo spots. If you're athletic and into hiking you could spend all day, we only stopped at a few of the highlights. If you get lucky, you can see many animals.

This place is beautiful! Perfect daily trip from Vegas. There is an entrance fee but it helps to maintain the place beautiful so I am happy to pay. The roads to go from one view point to the other ones are paved which is why we went there instead of the Grand canyon . I wish there were more restrooms . The parking space from the last hiking spot was definitely limited and they don't allow to park over a certain point which makes you drive in circles until a car frees a spot.

WHY VISIT? 1. The beauty and color in the park rivals some of the best national parks in the country. Personally, I found this to be a top-ten all-time visited park. I loved it. 2. There are a good variety of trails and even the easiest do not fail to deliver stunning views. If you’re not a hiker, the views from the road will still deliver. 3. Though all desert, there are trails that range from wide open spaces to deep, shady canyons. 4. Its proximity to Las Vegas makes this park very accessible. It makes a perfect day trip! CAUTIONS: 1. Many of the trails are very sandy. Deep sand. I felt like I was wading in water. This can slow you down and even make walking a bit of a challenge for some. The park is mostly sandstone so the sand is simply a caveat of the beautiful landscape. 2. In a few spots, I needed my phone for navigation. There were a few trail intersections that were not very well marked. OVERALL, this is one of the best state parks in the country. Highly recommended.

Located a little less than an hour from the strip, this is an amazing place to visit if you want to keep your hard earn dollars (or pesos) from the slot machines. The admission was $15 for non-Nevada residents and $10 for the residents. A very reasonable price for a day of exploring and hiking. There were basically two scenic drives that cover most if not all of the sites of the park. Although you don’t get an as nice of a view than from hiking, but the drive was very beautiful and enjoyable. We had time to do a few short hikes and were thoroughly impressed. The elephant rock was a real easy hike and the rock formation was interesting. We also hiked to see the Fire Wave (or Painted Wall as I have seen some publications used for this place). Though it’s no Antelope Valley, but it was nonetheless very beautiful and mesmerizing. We also saw a herd of rams that were grazing in the field and then one by one crossed the road. It was very cool to see large animals thrives in such a harsh environment. In any event, I don’t even know why does a chicken cross the road, so I certainly won’t know why a ram would cross the road. Highly recommended if one can unglue one’s bottom from the seat in front of the slot machine.

If you are into hiking, trails and natural beauty this is the perfect place to spend your entire day and absorb the extravagant beauty of the national state park. Make sure you have plenty of water, carrying sunscreen and appropriately dressed for a trek in this burning heat. Check the temperatures before heading as they close some points due to heat. I would not suggest to go with kids as it could be a daunting experience for them. It’s a serene place just to take a good drive and skip trailing and treks all together.