Camping Near Valley Of Fire State Park

Where To Stay For Valley Of Fire

If you are not interested in camping, but want to center some of your visit on Valley of Fire, there are a few options outside of the park within a reasonable drive. Unfortunately though, regardless of which entrance you choose, you will have to drive at least 45 minutes from a hotel or Airbnb.

During our visit, we stayed outside of Valley of Fire on the way to Las Vegas. We chose La Quinta due to its proximity to the park.

If you want to go further into Las Vegas, your options open up quite a bit in style and price. During our visit, Las Vegas was still quite busy even with COVID restrictions, so we opted to stay in a quieter area near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which was also a bit closer to the park.

Valley Of Fire State Park History

Ancient petroglyphs were carved into red sandstone rock formations at Valley of Fire State Parka remnant from the Ancestral Puebloans living in and around the modern-day Moapa Valley area 2,500 years ago. By the mid-1860s, Mormon missionaries settled St. Thomas, where they began ranching, farming, and mining in the region. Interestingly enough, St. Thomas was flooded by the waters of Lake Mead during Hoover Dam construction in the early 1930s.

In 1931, a transfer of 8,760 acres of federal land to the state of Nevada began the creation of Valley of Fire State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the park from 1933 through the early 1940s, making campgrounds, stone cabins, trails, and roads. The park opened in 1934 and was officially designated Valley of Fire State Park in 1935, becoming Nevadas first state park.

Things To Do Near Valley Of Fire

Valley of Fire has more than enough hiking and picturesque rock formations to fill a day. But if youre in the area for longer, consider visiting the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Its a popular place to go swimming, boating, fishing or hiking.

The Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is another spot with miles of hiking trails and over 300 petroglyphs that you can hunt for among the rocks.

Dont forget to check out these two National Parks in Nevada.

And if youre new to Nevada, dont forget to visit Las Vegas. The city is less than an hour away from the Valley of Fire and is well-known as the entertainment capital of the world. Here is a long list of free and cheap things to do in Las Vegas.

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Valley Of Fire Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm daily and can provide you with information about the park and make hike suggestions based on your desires. There are numerous exhibits depicting the geology, ecology, and history of the park and the nearby area. And there is a gift shop inside as well. Also good to know there are restrooms and water refill stations available at the visitor center.

Entering Valley Of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire is open from sunrise to sunset daily, and the entrance fee is $10 per car per day.

Entrace Fee : $10

Were very excited that youre planning a trip to Valley of Fire State Park. Once youve finished exploring all that the park has to offer, there are also some incredible opportunities waiting for you outside of its gates! During or after your stay, we encourage you to tag us in any of your social media posts, or why not share your photos and experience with us at ? We may even feature your story on our blog or social media channels. Happy camping!

RVshare

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Hiking In Valley Of Fire

If you are wondering if you can hike at Valley of Fire State Park the answer is yes! The Valley of Fire State Park Nevada is home to extraordinary hiking trails with beautiful views as well as a variety of different hiking difficulties. No matter what kind of trail you are looking for, you will find it hiking in the Valley of Fire State Park.

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Valley Of Fire State Park Park Free Campsites 26 Miles: Valley Of Fire State Park Bonelli Bay

Address Elevation: 1201

Management Public National Park Service

The road in is Dirt and 8 miles from a paved road. Bonelli Bay is open year round. The maximum RV length at Bonelli Bay is unlimited. You may stay 14 days at Bonelli Bay.

From hwy 93 take the road to Temple Bar. The toll station for collecting the NP fee doesnt seem to be active in winter. After 16 miles, at a sharp curve to the right, turn left into the dust road. The road has deep cross grooves that may not be passible by 2WD vehicles. After 8 miles you get to sandy shores at the lake, either having gone straight to Bonelli Ramp, or having turned right to Bonelli Bay. The shore is swampy and the lake cannot be accessed walking. Waste management at the turn-off from the paved road. Gas at Temple Bar daily from 8 to 5, Regular only. Next gas 50 miles at Boulder.

Activities:

Fishing Wildlife Viewing

Camping In Valley Of Fire

There are three campgrounds in Valley of Fire: Atlatl Rock Campground, Arch Rock Campground, plus a group campground. Both Atlatl Rock and Arch Rock campgrounds are first come, first served, and they do fill up.

Camping costs $20 per vehicle per night, and this includes the $10 park entrance fee. Well be sharing more information about camping in Valley of Fire in an upcoming post.

We hope you this guide helps you plan your visit to Nevadas Valley of Fire State Park. If you have any questions, please drop us a comment below. Explore responsibly and practice leave no trace principles so that we can preserve the natural beauty of this place for all to enjoy.

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Valley Of Fire State Park Park Free Campsites 29 Miles: Valley Of Fire State Park Lake Mead Nra Kingman Wash

Address Elevation: 1201

Management Public National Park Service

The road in is 4×4. Very easy drive. No idea where there were 4×4 signs. Fills up fast, not that many spots if you want some distance from others. More people by lake. Check the wind before you go if tenting. Probably gets packed on weekends.

Watch out for the burros. Theyll stalk you for food. Came right up to my tent and followed me when I was eating breakfast.

Activities:

Wildlife Viewing

Bighorn Sheep Are All Over

Even though this is a desert landscape and you might not think you will see any wildlife, this small park is actually teeming with animals. You just have to look carefully! There are bighorn sheep all over the park, however it is very easy to spend an entire day here without noticing them! Their camouflage blends in so well on the rocks that they can be right above your head and you may not even notice.

If you are on the hunt for big horn sheep, they like to hang around near the White Domes trail in the morning, Rainbow Vista Trail on the left side all day and also around the Visitor Center.

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See The Valley Of Fires Petroglyph Hikes

Atlatl Rock Hike

Atlatl Rock is another ultra-accessible and wondrous site in Valley of Fire that features amazing examples of prehistoric petroglyphs. Atlatl is a tool used to launch a spear, and ancient Indians carved symbols of the atlatl in the sandstone located at Atlatl Rock.

Distance: 0.1 miles round tripDifficulty: Beginner

Mouses Tank Hike

If youre interested in seeing more petroglyphs in Valley of Fire, dont miss a hike to Mouses Tank, which is a natural rock basin in a canyon where rainwater collects. You can hike from the trailhead to Mouses Tank and back and see prehistoric petroglyphs along the trail.

Distance: 0.7 miles round tripDifficulty: Beginner

Valley Of Fire Itinerary: Day 1

Elephant Rock Trail + Cute Photo Ops

Driving in from Moapa Valley, you will enter the park through the east entrance. There is an adorable polaroid photo-op you can take here, which we absolutely had to take with our pups. It was a little struggle holding Zooey up in the shot , but after a few takes, we made it happen.

The cutest photo op!

To the left is some park information and a trail leading up to the Elephant Rock. Its an easy 0.3-mile hike. You can actually see the Elephant Rock shape a lot better while youre driving on the road, but the park officials dont want you to stop on the side of the road to take pictures, so they made a trail to view the unique shaped rock safely.

Elephant Rock

Visitor Center + Balanced Rock Trail

Stop by the visitor center to get additional information and pick up a map. If you need water, snacks, or want to grab some souvenirs, the visitors center is open from 8:30 am-4:30 pm daily.

Fun fact: Valley of Fire State Park is the first state park of Nevada established in 1935.

Cool rock formations at the Visitor Center

This area is also an excellent place to wander around and take some awesome pictures with your pups. The rock formations were gorgeous and we especially enjoyed having the pups climb inside the rock holes for cute photo-ops.

Balanced Rock Trail

Enjoying the views with Kuma

Rainbow Vista Trail & Fire Canyon Overlook

Rainbow Vista

Walking through the sand on the Rainbow Vista Trail

Fire Canyon Overlook

Fire Wave Trail

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Valley Of Fire Hiking Tour From Las Vegas

If you arent quite comfortable making your way to Valley of Fire by yourself, dont have a rental car, or want some hiking buddies on the trail, I would recommend this highly rated Valley of Fire Hiking Tour.

Pickup and dropoff from your hotel are included which is very nice, especially if you dont have a car. You get to relax on the drive over and then pick if you want to go on an easy, moderate, or difficult guided hike.

Exploring Incredible Geology From Parking Lot #3

• Just scramble and explore!
• On our first visit, by the time we got here dusk was right on our tails. But it felt like we were just getting to the good stuff! And based on both of our visits hiking Valley of Fire State Park, I would say that this turn off was easily the highlight of our experience. From the parking area, we just wandered towards the beautiful rock canyons and domes. The colors were out of this world pink, purple, yellow, orange For real, there were literally pink rocks! And it seemed to just go on and on, like we could explore just this area all day! There was no designated trail so we just wandered and climbed around, in awe at the incredible, colorful, amazing landscape all around us! This area was less crowded than many of the other trails on White Domes Scenic Byway but it was still a well travelled area and we ran into several other groups. We really loved the scenic landscape and the freedom to climb and wander towards whatever formation caught our eye. On our second visit to the park, we spend a few hours here and still look forward to coming back to this area to explore and scramble further!

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Valley Of Fire Campground Map

Thats it for this Valley of Fire State Park camping guide! To make planning easier, I have a Valley of Fire campground map, which includes the Atlatl Rock and Arch Rock campsites, as well as the backcountry sites I mentioned.

Now you should be ready to plan your Valley of Fire camping trip! I hope you found this guide helpful and that you enjoy your time in this beautiful area. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment below. Have a safe trip!

Valley Of Fire Group Campground Overview

There are two individual site campgrounds at the Valley of Fire, the Atlatl Rock Campground, and Arch Rock Campground.

In addition to these two campgrounds, there is an area for group camping that has three sites for group camping. Each site has limited parking and will accommodate up to 45 people.

Unlike the other two campgrounds which are first come first served, these sites are available for overnight camping and picnicking by reservation only.

Call the park at 397-2088 for reservations or stop by the Valley of Fire Visitor Center if you happen to be in the area for more information.

View more information and photos for Group Campground #3.

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Valley Of Fire State Park Entrance Fees

An entrance fee is charged at Valley of Fire State Park for each vehicle. The payment is valid for one day.

• Vehicle: $10
• Camping : $20
• Camping with hookups: $30

There are pay station booths at the entrance to Valley of Fire. But if they arent manned upon your arrival there are self registration stations. Just put your cash in the provided envelope, tear off your portion of the stub and insert the payment into the slot. If you wish to pay with a card, you can do so at the visitor center.

Valley Of Fire State Park Park Permit Parking 5 Miles: Valley Of Fire State Park Fire Cove

Cost $20 Weekly

Elevation: 1306

Management Public National Park Service

The road in is 4×4. Fire Cove is open year round. There are 6-15 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is 15 feet. You may stay 15 days at Fire Cove.

Free dispersed camping in Lake Mead National Park. A fun little ride in your high clearance vehicle. You may camp anywhere along this road. The end is little more than a brushy, large, flat area in a wash. We didnt see another person here and we only saw two sets of tire tracks. Thats probably because there is no real access to the water. You could probably walk there, but its about a mile away. ATT G and Verizon 3G but neither were usable.

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Is Valley Of Fire Worth Seeing

YES YES YES! Every time we visit Las Vegas, Valley of Fire Park is one of the fun things in Las Vegas we make time for. Whether you spend a few hours driving through the park, spend a whole day, or make a Valley of Fire camping trip out of it, your time in the park will be well spent.

The Valley of Fire State Park hikes are a lot of fun and the views are hard to beat.

Best Campgrounds In Death Valley National Park

Dont let the morbid name deter you Death Valley is actually a spellbinding camping destination. As long as you stick to prime season camping or head to a high-elevation campground, youll rarely be able to tell youre in the hottest desert in the United States.

Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes, a cacophony of colorful badlands and harsh, desert geology. Its an arid wonderland and a park of superlatives the hottest, lowest, and driest place in the United States. Its also the largest National Park in the lower 48.

Whether youre a zealous desert advocate or simply passing through central California, Death Valley is certainly one of the strangest National Parks out there and well worth a camping trip.

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When Is The Best Time Of Year To Go Camping

Spring and fall are the best seasons to camp in Valley of Fire State Park. In the summer, temperatures regularly top 100°F. Campsites can stay hot all night long making it uncomfortable to get a good nights sleep.

You wont find ice machines at the campground so on the hotter days youll want to pack your own. The showers also come in two temperatures: warm and hot! So its difficult to cool off.

Look for campsites next to large rock formations theyll be the most likely to provide shade in the late morning and early evening hours.

During the winter months, temperatures can dip below freezing though it rarely snows.

How To Get To The Valley Of Fire Park

The easiest way to get to this fantastic attraction is connecting from Las Vegas. If you are coming out of state, you can take a plane or a bus to Nevadas most populous city. You can hire a car or have a guide to lead you to the place.

If driving, take on the South Las Vegas Boulevard as you negotiate towards Flamingo Road, taking a turn heading to the I-15 highway. Take the ramp northwards onto the I-15, keeping left for almost 34 miles, before exiting at 75 towards Valley of the Fire Park. Then head on to the Valley of the Fire highway, going straight for almost 17 miles.

Finally, take a left on Mouses Tank Road and head straight, negotiating a right onto the valley of fire visitors FAQs for Nevada Valley of Fire State Park

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