No fire. Valley of Fire - the stone flame of Nevada. Attractions near the Valley of Fire

If you decide to go to the USA, and you set a goal to visit all the unusual corners of this state, then you simply must add the state of Nevada to the list.

The park, which is called the Valley of Fire, is the oldest park in the state. In addition, it has become world famous due to its own stunning nature. Not to be confused with .

It is possible to visit the park in the northeastern territory of Las Vegas as part of various excursions.

Colorful impressions will be left directly by the road to the park. The road to that place passes through the Mojave Desert, famous for its landscapes. When 80 km of the way along the dunes ends, the Valley of Fire begins. The park begins with the magnificent beauty of the places - the union of the Virgin River, as well as Lake Mead. For what reasons is the park area located near the reservoir called the fiery name? This can be explained by the fact that the valley is simply overflowing with red sandstone, as a result of which the landscapes of the valley look as if engulfed in flames. See.

From other well-known parks in the United States, the Valley of Fire is distinguished by a fabulous landscape, as well as an arid climate. It is hard to believe that this territory is actually on planet Earth. Dried hills strewn with red sand, gorges, as well as cracked mountains that have bizarre ledges, all this makes for an extremely futuristic look, as if the entire territory of the valley is part of a certain alien landscape.

Amazing architectural masterpieces

In addition, the Valley of Fire is interesting for its huge sand dunes, which turn with the help of the wind either into masterpieces of architecture, palaces and bridges, or into intricate figures of amazing animals. It is not at all surprising that a large number of visitors want to admire this place. There is also a spirit of the past in the valley - in the canyon of the Petroglyphs, an inquisitive tourist is given the opportunity to look at the creative products of the Anasazi Indians on real rock drawings.

A huge number in the park are also other reminders that the Indians still existed and lived in this area about 2 thousand years ago. Archaeologists have been able to find items related to them that have survived from the time they lived in these territories. For a long time, petrified trees have remained in the park, which grew in the valley many millions of years ago.

And it's no surprise that US park tours are an exciting pastime.

This post is about the most scenic route of all my travels. On a day for which somehow there were no plans, very close to Las Vegas, I unexpectedly discovered the Fire valley national park - the Valley of Fire and it surprised me well, just to the very limit. Look how beautiful it is!

Valley of Fire National Park is really not far from Las Vegas. Literally after half an hour of driving along the highway, the desired exit is visible. By the way, I consider it very convenient that almost all road signs in the United States are duplicated with text. You go, you read - it is extremely clear.

Immediately at the entrance to the park there are signs to places with ancient rock paintings. These rock paintings are called petroglyphs and are over 3,000 years old.

Around interesting landscapes. Rocks full of holes like cheese! Something like a cave city.

Now I will tell you clearly about why the Valley of Fire has such a name. The fact is that the rocks here are of such an incredible shape and, most importantly, of such a color that everything around seems to be on fire. The rocks are just on fire, for real!

One of the attractions is the arches.

We enter the park. Extremely scenic road.

In general, one of the most spectacular sections of the road that I have seen.

The beauty is just incredible. I say this in every publication, but where to go if this is so? Beauty all around!

Impossible not to take a photo for memory.

I love it when random people take pictures. You'll never guess what ridiculous framing they'll give you.

Let's go deep! There is the most interesting. And a great road.

This national park has been known since 1935. Americans from all over the area have been coming here for a long time. However, things changed a few years ago. German photographers walked around taking pictures and discovered some amazing places. Since they were not marked on the map, the discoverers gave them a name and described them in their blog.

After some time, they began to turn to the park staff - where is the “wave” here? And the rangers had to rediscover their own long-known park. Now in some places there are signs and marked paths, but something still needs to be looked for according to the signs and descriptions of the discoverers.

So let's move on to look for that very local “wave”. You need to get to Parking #3 N 36.48832° W114.52916°, cross the road and there will be a sign indicating the beginning of the trail. Go about 1200 meters.

Desert with classic cacti.

I walk along inconspicuous landmarks that mark the path. Not a soul around!

The relief is amazingly beautiful.

The rocks are on fire!

Here are some signs that we are on the right track. The surface becomes streaked.

You can't help but take a selfie :)

And here it is - the wave! You go out on it unexpectedly and the spirit intercepts!

In these parts there is another "Wave" - ​​the famous The Wave. I have attached someone else's photo from Google below so you can imagine what an amazing place this is. By the way, I never cease to be amazed at how diverse and amazing the planet Earth is.

So it's hard enough to get on The Wave. The wave is very fragile and so that tourists do not completely trample it, admission there is only with permits that are played in the lottery. There are only 20 vouchers per day - 10 on the site and 10 at noon on the spot. In short, the chance to get there is not great, and I did not have time to wait for luck. So I will admire the Wave with you in the picture.

But back to the Valley of Fire. During the rainy season, a river flows here.

And around the wave, the rocks are painted with stripes of the most amazing colors.

Pink and purple gems! Eerily similar to colored crayons

In some places, the soil is very reminiscent of Mars.

And right on the rock, too, life.

This is also amazing. Who brought the red cobblestones to the white rock? A bizarre play of wind and time.

There are several arches in the park, you also need to look for them according to very vague signs from the German pioneering photographers.

The next point I was looking for is called Crazy hill. it was also described by German travelers. By the way, they sell a brochure for 4 euros, in which all points are described, there are GPS coordinates and tips on when it is better to photograph objects.

I searched without coordinates and brochures - that is, I walked in circles for a long time until I found it :)

But now I know the coordinates, maybe you will need more:

1. Striped Rock 36°28’50.5’’N, 114°31’35.5’’W
2. Thunderstorm Arch 36°29‘10“N, 114°31‘51“W
3. Fire Cave Arch 36°29'11.6''N, 114°31'47.5''W
4. Crazy Hill 36°29'06.6''N, 114°31'47.1''W

And I strayed, strayed, until I found under my feet, well, it’s absolutely impossible, a beautiful stone rainbow. It!

Crazy Hill really blows your mind! And this is one of the things that struck me the most. Both in the US and in general. Nowhere else have I seen this.

In short, I took a lot of photos. Even more than it should :)

Around, by the way - not a soul. Silence. Peace. I walked for two hours through ravines, gorges, arches and canyons and did not meet anyone. I was alone on the hill too. That feeling when the whole planet is only yours!

Having admired enough, we go back to the parking lot and look at the landscapes.

The next point of the route is a trail around some kind of cliff. This place is marked on the tourist map and there are much more people here. I mean, there's just someone else besides you.

At some point the trail leads into a narrow canyon.

Water creates graceful forms in its style.

There is a bigger arch here. And there are plenty of people around to take pictures. After the meditative calmness of other places, I even want to leave here soon :)

The next point of the route (and in my opinion, it is even earlier than parking number 3, it is not in the direct order of visiting here) is Stripped rock. Rock with a stripe. Class!

TOURS FROM LAS VEGAS TO NEVADA NATURE RESERVES

Jeep tours from Las Vegas
in international groups or individually with a Russian guide

In the National Parks of the USA you can always meet bikers. In America in general, and even more so against the background of the untouched nature of the Parks, they look especially colorful and organic. Especially for this category of tourists, package offers have been developed that include motorcycle rental Harley-Davidson, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory And Yamaha, developed programs with recommendations for the route and accommodation in hotels popular with bikers. You can also go to the National Parks as part of organized groups, with a professional guide and technical support car.

One of the most scenic roads I've driven is through a Nevada state park called Valley of Fire. Millions of years of sand formed canyons, arches, "waves". In addition, there are many rock paintings, the so-called petroglyphs. As you understand, I didn’t manage to just lie down in the hotel after that ...

Oddly enough, but the world's gambling capital is great for nature lovers - from morning to evening you can trek in the surroundings, take pictures and admire the "cosmic" landscapes, and in the evening you can already spend some money on roulette and "relax" near the dancing fountains at the Bellagio Casino.

One state park I haven't been to before is Valley of Fire. It's only an hour from Vegas (50 miles). It is not as popular as the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, but this is its main advantage.

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The park is very compact and at the same time very diverse. The entry fee to Valley of Fire is $10 per car or $20 per camper.

Of course, I went here primarily for the beautiful road scenery, but I found a lot of other things here. For example, I walked to the "wave", which is a layered two-color "swirl" of hard sandstone. You must have seen the famous The Wave (Coyote Buttes) in Arizona, but getting there is quite difficult. And here, in the "Valley of Fire", there is a similar natural phenomenon without any access restrictions.

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How nature created it is a big mystery to me.

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As elsewhere in the United States, the lion's share of tourists are our Chinese friends, who, according to observations, do not feel at all the difference between the "Valley of Fire" in Nevada and the Alhambra Palace in Andalusia - the main thing is to check in with a standard facial expression and go on.

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Dodge Challenger is popular here. Huge and clueless. Who only does not ride it: Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, dark personalities. In other words, those who drive are those who have big complexes and who like cheap show off. Naturally, all the listed groups of citizens rent this car. A self-respecting cowboy will buy a 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger HellCat. This is also a show off, but at least not so cheap.

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But the car of a person without complexes is the Ford Fiesta.

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Do you think I'm kidding? In fact, the Fiesta is a pleasant machine. I expected that it would “sausage” on the track, but no. It does not matter. And in the city, while everyone is squirming on their "trucks", I quickly slip into any ... I stand in any free small parking space.

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With the city, let's not rush, but enjoy the road and roadside landscapes of Valley of Fire.

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Despite the small size of the park, the Valley of Fire must be booked at least a day from dusk to dawn, because there are several scenic trekking routes here at once. For example, I never got to the famous arch due to lack of time and the presence of ordinary laziness. So put on your sneakers, take water, bananas, sweets and go! If anyone in your group doesn't want to burn calories on the 4-kilometer hike to the arch, then give them meat, coal and fire - there are plenty of public barbecues here.

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And do not forget to fill up the car before the trip, otherwise it will be inconvenient to get out if the fuel runs out somewhere in the middle of the park. Here, right next to the hotel there was a dear Shell, where in the store you could pull the “one-armed bandit”.

Photos

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All the necessary information on one of the brightest and most textured parks in the USA - the Valley of Fire. Here you will see ornate forms into which nature has turned the sandy desert that once existed on these lands. "Waves", "beehives", "rainbows" - these are the unusual phenomena of the Valley of Fire, worthy of the attention of tourists who come for miracles.

general information

Park name: Valley of Fire State Park

State: Nevada, Clark County, USA

Distances from Valley of Fire:

• Death Valley - 183 miles / 293 km (3 hours)
• Las Vegas - 54 miles / 86 km (1 hour)
• Los Angeles - 323 miles / 516 km (5 hours)
• Grand Canyon - 312 miles / 499 km (5 hours)
• Hoover Dam - 68 miles / 108 km (1.5 hours)

Short description: An incredibly beautiful and vibrant park that impresses with its rich colors and variety of shapes. Here you can see natural arches, picturesque canyons, "waves", very similar to the famous Coyote Buttes, unusual sandstone formations, mesmerizing landscapes and much more.

Schedule: the park is open for visits 365 days a year from dawn to dusk (camping - around the clock). The Visitor Center is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily. There are two entrances: western (West Entrance Station) and eastern (East Entrance Station).

Visit cost:

• car ticket and all passengers - $10;
• individual ticket(for those who came to the park by bike or on foot) - $1;
• bus - for those who came to the park by bus, the cost of visiting will be $ 2;
• Annual Entry Permit- $75 (valid for a year and applies only to the Valley of Fire, can be purchased from the rangers);
• Annual subscription (Passport Annual Permit)- $100 (valid for a year and applies to all parks located in the state of Nevada).

*Payment is made at stations (self-pay station) or in booths. In the first case, you will see an information stand, next to which there will be envelopes in which you will need to put money, fill in the necessary information and lower the envelope into the iron tube safe next to it.

Annual Pass/Park Pass for state parks does not apply, their visit is always paid separately.

Park size: Valley of Fire Park is relatively small, and in order to see the main interesting points, it is enough to ride along two parallel roads, making trips to mini-hikes. Conventionally, I would divide it into three parts:

• Valley of Fire Hwy to Mauses Tank Perpendicular Road
  There are several points and trails along this segment. Here you can admire the sand arches, the so-called "beehives" and see the ancient petroglyphs.
• Mouse's Tank Road
  In this part of the park, the multi-colored sand formations that can be found on some trails are especially striking. In addition, here you can walk inside the canyon and see excellent "road landscapes".
• Valley of Fire Hwy after Mauses Tank Road
  This stretch is rich in intricate sandstone figures such as the Elephant and the Seven Sisters.