Valley of Fire State Park, go see it!

Located between Las Vegas and the Overton Arm of Lake Mead in the Moapa Valley is 40,000 acres red Aztec sandstone known as Valley of Fire State Park. Eli and I had intended to stay at this park on our westward leg, but we skipped it because of high temperatures (over 115 degrees F). We decided to hit it on our eastward leg, hoping for better weather. When we arrived in Valley of Fire on our eastbound leg, it was in the 90’s, which was warm, but manageable. The campground was very cool. Most of the sites back right up to twisted red rock. There are plenty of places to explore and rock scramble. It was pretty clear that wind and water erosion were at work creating otherworldly rock sculptures. We set up camp, and decided to set out for an evening hike, when we heard the roll of thunder and saw dark clouds coming over the horizon. This storm looked especially intense. Forks of lightning crashed all around us. We thought about doing one short hike to Atlatal Rock which included a walk up a metal staircase. But, with so much lightning, we headed for cover. We got back to camp just in time for 40+ mph winds and torrential rain. The sky was electric, and the wind and rain was whipping the rock formations surrounding our campsite. We saw other campers flee the area. Moments later water began to flow rapidly down the roads and next to our trailer. It was a first-hand experience of power of wind and rain to shape the landscape. Our trailer was fairly high, so we waited the storm out. After the storm passed, the roads were covered with sand, mud, rocks and other debris. It all happened so fast! We got the feel of what could really happen in a flash flood.

            The next morning, the fragrance of wild rosemary and sage filled the desert. We headed for two short hikes White Domes, and Mouse’s Tank.  On the way, we found a bighorn sheep inspecting the impact of the flash flood. White Domes was a pretty cool short hike through slot canyons and strange rock formations. Mouse’s Tank hike is named after a small perennial pool of rain water hidden in the rock formations. In the 1980’s an outlaw nicknamed “Little Mouse” used the tank as a source of fresh water for several years while evading capture for murder. If you are ever in the Moapa Valley, I would highly recommend taking a detour to Valley of Fire State Park.