Hi, I'm Eric.

I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

I help implement the Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe.

ericscouten.com

Subscribe / Follow · Now

ericscouten.com

Subscribe / Follow · Now

Search Results

Valley of Fire State Park

23 September 2024 • 222 km / 138 mi (map)

  • Added to Eric Scouten :: Travel on 5 October 2024
  • Nevada 9

Lisa and I are in Las Vegas for a few days while she attends a conference. We had a bit of extra time this morning, so we visited Valley of Fire State Park, about an hour north of the city.

This park protects a harsh but very scenic landscape made largely of bright red sandstone that has been shaped into fantastical landscapes.

Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn

They weren’t kidding about the heat. When we entered the park, it was 37°C / 98°F and it kept going from there. For that reason, we limited our ventures to what we could see from our car and short hikes from there.

Even so, we got to see quite a variety of landscapes.

Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A towering red sandstone rock formation with horizontal banding and weathered, pockmarked surfaces rising against a deep blue cloudless sky, with smaller eroded rock outcrops and sparse desert vegetation at its base.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A close-up of vivid orange-red sandstone at Fire Cave (Windstone Arch), showing eroded hollows and cavities carved into the layered rock face, with smooth wind-sculpted alcoves and a textured, weathered surface.
The Scream · Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Eroded red sandstone cliffs and boulders rise against a clear deep-blue sky, with weathered alcoves and layered rock formations. A green desert shrub and tufts of dry grass grow from the rust-colored sandy ground scattered with broken rocks.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A large weathered red sandstone formation pocked with holes and erosion patterns rises against a deep blue cloudless sky in the desert, with smaller rock outcrops to the right and sparse dry brush dotting the sandy red ground in the foreground.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
A large dome-shaped red sandstone formation with heavily eroded, layered surfaces and cave-like hollows at its base, set against a deep blue sky with sparse desert scrub around it at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
A large rounded red sandstone formation with a hollowed-out cave-like opening at its base, set in a desert landscape under a clear deep blue sky. Patches of pale lichen mottle the rock, and a green desert shrub grows in the reddish sandy soil in the foreground.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A weathered red sandstone arch frames a small opening of bright blue sky at Valley of Fire State Park, with rugged eroded rock formations in the foreground and a distant rocky peak visible through the gap.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Jagged red and orange sandstone formations with eroded, pitted surfaces and spire-like crests rise against a clear deep blue sky, photographed from below at Valley of Fire State Park.
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Fire Cave / Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A scrubby desert plant with small yellow flowers and tangled dry stems grows from a gravelly patch of red dirt, set within a curved bowl of smoothly weathered orange-red sandstone. A small lizard rests on the rock at the lower edge of the frame.
Arch Rock, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Arch Rock, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Arch Rock, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Fire Canyon / Silica Dome, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Fire Canyon / Silica Dome, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
A wide desert landscape at Rainbow Vista in Valley of Fire State Park, with red and tan sandstone formations on the left, scattered low desert shrubs across reddish ground, and distant colorful rock ridges and mountains under a deep blue cloudless sky.
Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
A weathered red and dark-gray sandstone cliff face with a cracked, honeycomb-like texture and shallow eroded hollows, rising above a patch of red desert sand dotted with clumps of dry green and tan scrub brush under bright midday sun.
Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada · by Lisa Rozmyn
Eroded red and tan sandstone formations with hollows and pitted cavities rise above orange desert sand dotted with dry brush, under a deep blue cloudless sky at midday.
Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Rugged red and tan sandstone formations rise against a clear deep blue sky, with weathered, eroded rock layers under bright midday sun. Sandy reddish ground in the foreground holds scattered pale dried desert shrubs.
Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, south of Moapa Valley, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada, to Valley of Fire State Park and back · 222 km / 138 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there. Use the button to adjust the map’s position and zoom.)

If you’ve enjoyed this …

Subscribe to my free and occasional (never more than weekly) e-mail newsletter with my latest travel and other stories:

Or follow me on one or more of the socials: