8 Best Things to Do in Valley of Fire State Park

Located northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, Valley of Fire State Park is a geologic paradise filled with red sandstone formations and hues of red and pale yellow among the terracotta desert. As Nevada’s oldest state park, the rock formations here look like they are on fire on a bright sunny day, giving it the name “Valley of Fire.” This state park is only less than an hour’s drive from Las Vegas and unexpectedly turned out to be one of my favorite destinations on my 55 Day Road Trip Across America.

Although it is only a state park, I would recommend considering a visit Valley of Fire (especially during sunset) during a national park trip to take in these incredible formations and landscape!

8 Best Things to Do in Valley of Fire State Park

After exploring Moab, UT, we took about a 7 hour drive to Las Vegas, NV where we would be staying for 3 nights. We decided on a day trip in Valley of Fire, so we were in the park by the morning and on our way back to Vegas shortly after sunset. This is more of an itinerary of what we did throughout the day rather than rating which ones were better.

Our trip at Valley of Fire was mostly sight-seeing while driving through the park and then a hike at the end near sunset. This was due to our limited time to visit, but there are definitely other amazing hikes to do here such as White Domes Loop, Mouse’s Tank Hike, Rainbow Vista, and more!

1. The Beehives

Entering from Interstate 15 from Las Vegas, we started from the west side of the park. Our first stop was at The Beehives, which looks exactly to what it’s named for.

These rock formations were created by geologic cross-bedding, which makes that over the years, layers of rock were deposited and the grooves were formed by wind and water moving these layers during its formation.

It is a quick stop here where you can park and walk around to view the rock formations up close.

2. Atlatl Rock

A little further down the road, you pull off to turn onto the road toward Atlatl Rock to go see the petroglyphs by Arch Rock. The walk up the metal staircase to view the petroglyphs on the sandstone rock mark Native American history.

After climbing a short series of steps of 0.1 miles, you are able to see petroglphs near Arch Rock. Therefore, it is not necessarily a hike but still is a cool site to visit when at Valley of Fire.

3. Seven Sisters

As you continue to drive along the park road, you will reach an intersection to either turn onto White Domes Road or continue straight Seven Sisters.

This quick stop is a group of seven boulders amongst the desert. It used to be apart of the nearby formations, but after constant erosion and forces, these seven rocks are all that remains of the rocks in this area. It is a great location for a picnic!

4. The Cabins

The next stop along this road is The Cabins, which were historic cabins built in the 1930s for travellers by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Built from sandstone, while you can no longer stay at these cabins, they are a nice picnic area and good place to relax when visiting Valley of Fire.

5. Elephant Rock

As you get closer to the park’s east entrance, Elephant Rock is the last stop before you head back toward White Domes Road. Like The Beehives, this rock looks exactly what it is named after as you look up and see the shape of an elephant on top of the rocks.

Parking at the main parking area near Elephant Rock Loop, it is a easy 0.3 mile there and back to see the rock formation or a 1.2 mile loop if you want a longer hike. For time’s sake, we just did the shorter way there to see Elephant Rock and walked back to the parking lot.

6. White Domes Road Scenic Drive

Turning back around from the east entrance, we turn right at the intersection where we had previously gone straight to go down White Domes Road, otherwise known as Mouse’s Tank Road. On this six mile road is multiple hiking trails, narrow canyons, desert viewpoints, and even more colorful rocks.

We were able to even see a few desert bighorn sheep along the road!

Whether you’re going down this road to reach Mouse’s Tank, Rainbow Vista, Fire Wave, or White Domes or you’re simply driving down to view the sights, this is an attraction I would recommend doing when at Valley of Fire!

7. Fire Canyon Overlook

Along White Domes Road is the overlook for Fire Canyon / Silica Dome. After a quick drive up to the overlook, it is a 0.1 mile walk from the parking lot to see the panoramic views of the vistas. The distinctive red and white sandstone formations is a unique site that you can’t miss!

8. Fire Wave Trail

We finished our day with hiking Fire Wave right before and during sunset, which was the best idea to do. The colors in the rocks are illuminated beautifully by the sun and thankfully we had a gorgeous sky to match!

This trail is an easy 1.5 mile out and back hike that features a cave, slot canyons, and amazing rock formations. With the park being relatively empty all day, we fortunately had the whole hike to ourselves since it was also later in the day.

We were super lucky to have a clear sky this day and the cotton candy sky illuminated the colors of Fire Wave perfectly as the sun set.

Since it was then dark, we drove back toward the west entrance to head back to Las Vegas. The next day, we were headed to Death Valley in California for another national park experience!

Visiting Valley of Fire or recently there? Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear about your travels!