Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire became Nevada's first state park in 1935, and it still delivers the state's most cinematic hour of desert driving — the Star Wars Tatooine scenes, plenty of Star Trek, and the closing scene of Total Recall were all shot here. The rock is 150-million-year-old Aztec sandstone, oxidised to a red so vivid the whole valley glows at sunrise. The Ancestral Puebloans left petroglyphs by the hundred on the smooth cliff faces, and today the park sits like a bright red inkblot on the map between Lake Mead and the Mesquite highway.

The main road runs 10.5 miles through the park with pullouts for Elephant Rock arch (right by the east entrance), Arch Rock, the Beehives, and the Seven Sisters — freestanding sandstone towers. A six-mile spur road climbs to White Domes, passing Rainbow Vista and the Fire Wave, a candy-striped slickrock swirl reached by a one-mile trail from parking lot number three. The White Domes loop itself is a 1.1-mile walk through a slot canyon and past a 1960s movie set. Atlatl Rock has a metal staircase up to petroglyph panels; Mouse's Tank is a half-mile sandy walk lined with more rock art.

Go between October and April — summer temperatures routinely hit 115°F and the Fire Wave trail turns brutal. Sunrise is the golden hour: enter the east gate off Northshore Road and you'll have Elephant Rock to yourself. Book the two park campgrounds (Atlatl Rock and Arch Rock) months ahead — no reservations means racing in at 7am. There are no restaurants inside; pack lunch or drive out to Overton (15 miles) for the Sugars Home Plate diner. Fuel up in Moapa before entering; there is no gas in the park.

Hours & entry

Not free

Park open daily sunrise to sunset · Visitor Center Mon-Sun 8:30-16:30 · Campgrounds open 24 hours

What to see

• The Fire Wave — swirling red-and-white sandstone — 1-mile round-trip from Parking Lot 3 on White Domes Road
• Atlatl Rock petroglyph panels — Atlatl Rock parking area, west end of the park loop
• Elephant Rock arch at sunrise — Short trail from the east entrance parking, near mile 0 of the park road

Tips from the ground

• Nevada-plated vehicles pay $10; out-of-state plates pay $15 — the ranger checks at the entrance kiosk.
• Fire Wave parking has 12 spaces and fills by 9am on weekends; go on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
• Combine with Lake Mead's Northshore Road on the way back for a full loop of Nevada's red-rock coast.