Valley of Fire

March 13   Las Vegas - Valley of Fire   56 miles     1hr 30min

The winds have died down so we drove out to Valley of Fire State Park. It's about 50 miles north of Las Vegas. There's a $10 entry fee, $30 for full hook up camping but they give you a $10 coupon for camping. Surprisingly, the campground was very busy. We got lucky, only had 1 site left when we got there. We did some hikes today. First was a short hike to Elephant Rock.

Elephant Rock

Then we did Mouse's Tank, about 1 mile. Named for an outlaw who used the area as a hideout in the 1890's. Mouse's Tank is a natural basin in the rock where water collects after rainfalls, sometimes remaining for months. While hiking through the canyon we pass numerous prehistoric petroglyphs. Little challenging, lot's of soft sand.

Petroglyphs along the way

Mouse's Tank

Last hike of the day was Fire Wave. This one was kind of hard, we might have been a little tired from the other hikes. Over 1.5 miles but lots of soft sand and climbing. Took us about an hour, absolutely worth it,,,,,,really, really nice.

After the hike we had a nice dinner with amazing views.

March 14   Got up early and did 2 hikes this morning. First was White Domes, around 1.5 miles. Sandstone formations with brilliant contrasting colors, a scenic trail with a slot canyon. This hike was pretty strenuous but worth it. Took us a little under an hour.

Slot canyons are always spectacular

Colors are amazing

We did a second hike at Rainbow Vista. Over a mile and lots of soft sand.

Then took a drive to the Cabins. These historic stone cabins were built with native sandstone by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's as shelter for travelers of the Arrowhead Trail.

On the way back from the Cabins we passed a herd of sheep right along the side of the road. That was a nice surprise.

Arch Rock

After our hikes, we cleaned up and had some lunch before driving back to Las Vegas. We checked in for 1 night at Main Street RV Park. We like it here because of the location, but it's pretty noisy, right next to the freeway. Rate is $19. Caught up with some laundry then met our friends Winky and Leslie for dinner. We went to Vito's at The Cannery on Craig road. Really good food, we're definitely coming back.

March 15   We moved to Sam's Town RV Park today. Pull in site for $28. Only 1 night, picking up Miki and Randy tomorrow and driving to Brian Head to go skiing. I wanted to do some gambling and sit in the hot tub here but had to work.