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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
We traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada for four days at the end of January 2012.
I had wanted to spend one day of our trip away from the strip and my top two contenders were the Valley of Fire State Park and Red Rock Canyon. Although it was further drive (55 miles versus 15), we eventually settled on the Valley of Fire as I had read that the rock formations were much more impressive than compared to those found in Red Rock Canyon.
The
Valley of Fire State Park is the both the oldest and largest state park in Nevada, covering nearly 36,000 acres. The park was named in honor of its red sandstone formations, which were created as the result of shifting sand dunes. The park is comprised of a visitor center, multiple hiking areas, and several specific scenic areas that most visitors usually stop at including Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock, Beehives, Fire Canyon/Silica Dome, Mouse's Tank, Rainbow Vista, Seven Sisters, and White Domes. Visiting all of these areas would require nearly an entire day and we only had about three hours in the park. As a result, we opted to visit Beehives, the visitor center, Mouse's Tank, Rainbow Vista, and White Domes. I was blown away with this wonderful park. I am honestly quite surprised that it is not a National Park, given its beauty and uniqueness. I assume that the park must receive a large number of visitors (and therefore park fees) as all of the facilities within the park were impeccably well-cared for. Be aware that many of the trails are sand and not dirt so even a relatively flat trail takes much longer to walk on than one might think.
Beehives:
This area is filled with the most unusual formations within the park and it is also the most accessible area of the park, being located directly next to the main road.
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| View from the beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Beehives section of Valley of Fire State Park. |
Visitor Center:
Located nearly in the middle of the park, this visitor center was surprisingly well done and filled with useful information. I was even more impressed though with the beautiful scenery that surrounds the visitor center.
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Visitor Center at the Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Visitor Center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Inside the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Inside the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| View from the visitor center of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
Drive from Visitor Center to Mouse's Tank:
The passing scenery between these two areas of the park was absolutely stunning.
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| Roadside scenery at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Roadside scenery at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Roadside scenery at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Roadside scenery at Valley of Fire State Park. |
Mouse's Tank:
A half-mile round-trip trail from the parking lot of this area leads to Mouse's Tank, which is a basin in the rock where water collects after it has rained. Unfortunately, even though it was a short trail, due to being pressed for time and the fact that we were walking on sand instead of dirt, we didn't make it all the way down to the basin. Make sure to be on the lookout for the examples of prehistoric petroglyphs that can be found along the trail.
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Petroglyphs along Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Mouse's Tank trail at Valley of Fire State Park. |
Rainbow Vista:
This was my favorite area of the park. The multi-colored sandstone formations were imposing and extremely photogenic. As with Mouse's Tank, the trail is dry sand so make sure you are wearing proper footwear during your visit. Sandals definitely won't work!
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| Rainbow Vista of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| The sand along the trail at Rainbow Vista of Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Shyawn perched atop a rock at Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Shyawn enjoying the scenery at Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Shyawn touching the clean and soft sand at Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Sand along the trail at Rainbow Vista at Valley of Fire State Park. |
Drive from Rainbow Vista to White Domes:
This was yet another scenic drive filled with wide-open panoramas.
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
White Domes:
This area of the park was much different than the other areas we had visited. The sandstone had much less red and orange in its rock but was still very interesting to look at.
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| Parking lot of White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| A colorful rock along the trail at White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Detail from a rock of White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| Shyawn admiring White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
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| White Domes at Valley of Fire State Park. |
More photos from the drive through Valley of Fire State Park:
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
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| Valley of Fire State Park |
Although I'm sure I'll get to Las Vegas one day (not necessarily "dying" to visit), I would however love to see the "west," make a sweeping tour of the many national parks. Looks so incredible and obviously nothing like that here in the northeast :)
ReplyDeleteThe west is definitely filled with some amazing national parks. I am absolutely dying to visit the parks in Utah (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, etc) as they appear to be a photographer's dream come true! We are hoping to travel down there next spring after the wedding and honeymoon. Fingers crossed!
DeleteWow....Lovely photos, we have been there, but we only found it by accident so we were not sure what to look for. Next time we will explore it in more detail. Those parks (Arches, Zion, Bryce...) are awesome! We made some photos of Zion - http://bit.ly/1cps02z if you want to get some inspiration =)
ReplyDelete