Valley of Fire State Park
- Sheryl Linn
- May 8, 2023
- 2 min read
Roger and I recently took an enjoyable road trip to southern Nevada. We stopped at Valley of Fire State Park for the day along the way. We drove through the park and stopped to take a hike that was a little over a mile. I'm sharing some information and photos we took of our day.
Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park and is located six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The park was dedicated in 1935.
The park gets its name from the red sandstone formations and the unique beauty of the Mojave Desert. Popular activities include camping, hiking, picnicking, and photography.
While visiting the park, we took in the White Domes Loop Trail. The views on this 1.25-mile loop are both varied and extraordinary. The route passes sandstone formations with different shapes and colors. The trail also includes an old film movie set from 1966 and allows hikers to slip through a narrow canyon.
The “ruins” of the 1966 movie production of The Professionals are located a third of a mile from the start of the hike. Valley of Fire State Park has been a filming location for movies like Transformers, Casino, Total Recall, Star Trek: Generations, and Austin Powers.
Beyond what is left of the film set, the trail continues south and immediately drops into the Kaolin Wash, with Roger leading the way.
The surroundings of White Domes Trail are diverse, and the hike is impressive, making White Domes Trail one of many places to experience Valley of Fire State Park’s awesome beauty.
For detailed information about the White Dome Loop Trail, visit:
Wildlife and plant life have adapted to the Mojave Desert’s climate. On our trip, we were fortunate to see bighorn sheep, white-tailed antelope ground squirrels, lizards, and many birds.
The Cabins
These three cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They are constructed of native sandstone and were used for many years to shelter campers and travelers to the park. There are petroglyphs located behind the cabins.
It was fun to see rock formations that took on the resemblance of many different things, such as Elephant Rock and Balance Rock (named by the park). One formation, I thought, looked like a frog, and another a train.
Roger and I both highly recommend this park if you’re traveling through the area. For more information, visit: Valley of Fire State Park, a Nevada State Park located near Las Vegas, North Las Vegas (stateparks.com)
