Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada’s oldest and most spectacular state park — a surreal landscape of brilliant red Aztec sandstone that seems to blaze with fire when the low sun strikes it, set in the Mojave Desert about an hour northeast of Las Vegas. Wind and water have carved the soft sandstone into a wonderland of arches, domes, fins, slot canyons and fantastic shapes.

The park is famous for formations like the Fire Wave (a swirl of red-and-white striped rock), Elephant Rock, the Beehives and the petroglyph-covered walls of Atlatl Rock and Mouse’s Tank, left by the ancestral Puebloan and Paiute peoples. A favorite for photography and filming, glowing most vividly at sunrise and sunset, Valley of Fire offers scenic drives, hikes and desert wonder. A blazing red icon of the Mojave, it is a treasured natural landmark of Nevada.

Valley of Fire offers scenic drives among the flaming-red formations, hiking to highlights like the Fire Wave, the White Domes loop, the Mouse’s Tank petroglyph trail and Elephant Rock, photography (especially at golden hour), camping, and exploring the ancient petroglyphs. The visitor center interprets the geology and history. Hiking to the Fire Wave and other formations, driving the scenic roads and photographing the glowing rock are the signature draws. The combination of surreal red sandstone, ancient rock art and proximity to Las Vegas makes Valley of Fire a beloved desert destination.

Fall, winter and spring offer comfortable temperatures for hiking and exploring, while summer is dangerously hot in the Mojave (often well over 100°F — explore only in early morning, if at all). The red rock glows most vividly at sunrise and sunset, the prime times for photography. Spring may bring desert wildflowers. The cooler seasons and the golden hours are the highlights — come in fall through spring, time your visit for sunrise or sunset, and avoid midday and summer heat.

The Valley of Fire and its red rocks were long part of the homeland of the Ancestral Puebloan and Southern Paiute peoples, who left abundant petroglyphs on the sandstone (seen at Atlatl Rock, Mouse’s Tank and elsewhere) over thousands of years. The area was dedicated as Nevada’s first state park in 1935, with historic stone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Its dramatic scenery has long drawn filmmakers. Valley of Fire State Park preserves this blazing landscape and its ancient rock art, a treasured icon of Nevada.

Valley of Fire’s flaming-red rock is Aztec sandstone — the petrified remains of great sand dunes from the age of dinosaurs, some 150 million years ago — colored red by iron oxide. Uplifted and then sculpted by wind and water over millions of years, the soft sandstone has been carved into the park’s arches, domes, fins, slot canyons and swirling forms like the Fire Wave, where bands of red and white reveal the ancient dune layers. The petrified dunes, the iron staining and the long erosion created this surreal red landscape.

The Mojave Desert of Valley of Fire hosts desert bighorn sheep on the rocky slopes, coyotes, kit foxes, jackrabbits, ground squirrels and other rodents, along with desert reptiles including lizards and rattlesnakes, and a desert birdlife of ravens, raptors and songbirds. The threatened desert tortoise lives in the region. Wildlife is most active in the cooler hours. The red-rock desert supports animals adapted to heat and aridity. Valley of Fire offers desert wildlife watching, with bighorn sheep among the highlights, especially in early morning and evening.

The park protects a Mojave Desert ecosystem of red sandstone and desert basins — with creosote bush, cacti, desert shrubs and, after winter rains, wildflowers, supporting desert wildlife adapted to extreme heat and scarce water, including the threatened desert tortoise. The slickrock, washes and sparse vegetation form a harsh but living landscape. The desert soils, plants and tortoises are fragile. Protecting the desert vegetation, the wildlife and the rock art, and treading lightly, sustains both the ecology and the surreal beauty of Valley of Fire.

Valley of Fire holds a treasured place among the icons of Nevada — the state’s oldest state park, a blazing wonderland of red sandstone and ancient petroglyphs near Las Vegas, beloved by hikers, photographers and filmmakers and rich with the heritage of the Ancestral Puebloan and Paiute peoples. Its surreal, fiery scenery embodies the stark beauty of the Mojave. Valley of Fire is a cherished natural and cultural icon of Nevada, one of the most photogenic desert landscapes in the Southwest.

Valley of Fire State Park is in southern Nevada, about an hour (55 miles) northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and the Valley of Fire Highway, near Lake Mead. A per-vehicle entry fee applies. The park has a visitor center, scenic drives, trailheads, campgrounds and picnic areas. Summer heat is extreme and dangerous. Popular trailheads (like the Fire Wave) can fill, and some areas have timed parking. Check Nevada State Parks for fees, hours, camping, heat advisories and conditions before visiting.

Nevada State Parks protects Valley of Fire’s rock, rock art and desert. Visitors help by never touching or defacing the ancient petroglyphs (and never adding graffiti), staying on trails and durable slickrock to protect fragile desert soils and plants, not climbing on delicate formations, respecting the desert tortoise and other wildlife, packing out everything, and following all rules. The petroglyphs, the soft sandstone and the desert life are sensitive. Protecting the rock art, the formations and the desert sustains both the heritage and the surreal beauty of Valley of Fire.

Summer heat in Valley of Fire is extreme and can be deadly — temperatures soar well above 100°F, so hike only in the early morning (if at all), carry far more water than you think you need, and watch for heat exhaustion. There is little shade. Wear sun protection and sturdy shoes for the slickrock. Watch for rattlesnakes and give desert tortoises and bighorn sheep space. Flash floods can fill washes during rare storms. Respect the deadly heat, the need for abundant water, the desert wildlife and the flash-flood risk.

A per-vehicle entry fee applies. Do not touch, deface or add to the petroglyphs, or create any graffiti. Stay on trails and durable rock; do not climb on fragile formations. Camp only in designated campgrounds. Pets must be leashed. Drones are prohibited in the state park. Do not disturb wildlife, including the desert tortoise. Collecting rocks, plants or artifacts is prohibited. Pack out all trash; observe fire restrictions. Check Nevada State Parks for fees, parking, heat advisories and current rules before visiting.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the city of Las Vegas an hour away, the Moapa Valley towns of Overton and Logandale (with the Lost City Museum of ancestral Puebloan history), and the Mojave Desert lie near the park. Lake Mead and the Mojave define the region. Valley of Fire anchors a spectacular desert region near Las Vegas, a centerpiece of a southern Nevada adventure, easily combined with Lake Mead, the Lost City Museum and the attractions of Las Vegas.

Come in the cooler seasons (fall through spring) and time your visit for sunrise or sunset, when the sandstone truly blazes — the Fire Wave, White Domes and Elephant Rock are highlights, and the Mouse’s Tank trail shows ancient petroglyphs. Carry far more water than you expect (summer heat is deadly and there’s little shade), wear sun protection and grippy shoes for slickrock, and arrive early for popular trailhead parking. Never touch the petroglyphs, and combine your trip with nearby Lake Mead.