Valley of Fire State Park is one of the most breathtaking places I've ever visited. The bright red…read morerock formations almost look like you're on another planet, and every turn offers another incredible view. The scenic drive alone is worth the trip, but there are also plenty of great spots to stop, explore, and take photos. I especially enjoyed seeing the unique rock formations and the ancient petroglyphs. Everything was well maintained, and it was easy to spend several hours just taking in the scenery. If you're visiting the Las Vegas area, this is an absolute must see and well worth the drive. I would definitely come back again.

Valley of Fire State Park was one of the highlights of our road trip. We drove in from Henderson…read moreand made it a stop along the way. There was a bit of a line of cars waiting to enter, but once inside, everything felt surprisingly uncrowded. One of the coolest surprises was seeing several bighorn sheep walking along the road. They were much bigger than I expected and fun to watch from a safe distance. The landscape here feels almost otherworldly. The vibrant red rock formations, unique shapes, and dramatic scenery make it feel like you're on another planet. We spent our time driving through the park, stopping at various viewpoints to explore and take photos. The visitor center is excellent, with a great gift shop, and very clean restrooms. It was quite warm during our visit, so be sure to bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to do any hiking. If you're anywhere near Las Vegas or Henderson, I highly recommend making time for Valley of Fire. The scenery is absolutely stunning and well worth the visit.

A truly fantastic hike with changing scenic views along the way. The trail is also ever changing,…read morefrom sand, to packed dirt, to rocky/gravel, and steep stone steps. I personally recommend doing this trail counterclockwise. We're in our 30s, but my husband has bad knees and I get lower back pain; we find that the steep stone steps are far easier to go up than down. Having a walking stick while climbing the steps is also helpful. You will see some incredible things while hiking this trail. The texture on the rocks, the multitude of colors, windows, slot canyons, a portion of an old movie set, and some grand majestic views. Being an avid hiker and having hiked 80% of the trails within Valley of Fire, I'd consider this to be a moderate hiking trail. Note: There is a small covered picnic area with 4 tables as well as 4 gender neutral vault toilets near the start of this trail and next to the parking lot.

Amazing hike with beautiful scenery and moderate level…read more Starting out into the hike you have to walk through some sand which doesn't sound hard but it's actually strenuous on your body. Follow that down through some rocky man-made type rock stairs past an old movie set where you feel like you're in Star Wars Then follow that to the slot canyon. The slot Canyon is my favorite part of the hike. Very beautiful and unique. We just took our time going through the hike as we had some friends with us who were inexperienced hikers and we wanted to make sure everyone got through safely. I could've gone onto a few more hikes that day, but they were pretty tired. I will definitely go back here again. This was my second or third time here.

Come here! Bring good hiking shoes, water (plenty) and a hat…read more Decompress and take in the spirit and positive energy of this magnificent spot. Hope I captured the essence in my pics.

Arch Rock is a sits just near the edge of the road on a scenic 2 mile loop filled with views of…read moreinteresting rock formations and gorgeous scenery. It is only worth a few minute stop and some people don't even get out of their vehicles; they just slow and stare or take a photo or two before continuing on. Still, it is an enchanting little arch and makes for a nice photo and I imagine depending on the sky at the time you visit you could get some spectacular shots. It's definitely worth keeping an eye out for when you are visiting Valley of Fire.

It has been 15 years since the first time I hiked Arrow Canyon and I didn't remember how hard it is…read moreon the feet. First off, follow April's directions. They are spot on. At one time there was a dispute about the right of way to get to the canyon. The owner of the house attempted to block people from using the road around his house. It is a public road because it goes to a community well. Stay on the dirt road and don't go on any of the red dirt that are his two driveways. Just before the well house, the access road makes a right and goes down a short grade. Beyond here is the low clearance parking. Don't go further unless you have a high clearance vehicle. 4 wheel drive is not needed. As you start the hike from the trailhead, you'll notice that there's a lot of gravel and some large rocks. For the first part of the hike to the slot canyon, there are use trails on thje higher ground where there are brown weeds. Use these trails--your feet will thank you. When you get to the slot canyon, you have to walk on the rocks. After entering the rock canyon, look to your right and you'll see some Indian petroglyphs but also a lot of names scratched into the rocks by people who have hiked the canyon. The genuine rock art is generally lighter in definition because of repatination. The lighter figures and drawings are newer and are not genuine Indian rock art. The hike continues and you come to an area where a side canyon enters the main one. Don't turn left--keep going straight around the large mound of large rocks washed there in flash flooding. You'll soon come to what's known as Swamp Cave, a climbing destination. The rock face has a lot of bolts and carabiners into which the climbers string their ropes. About a mile from the cave, you get to the halfway point when you reach the check dam built by the CCC in the 1930s. This is the end of the hike for most people although there's a rope and a fixed bolt on the rock for those who want to get to the top of the dam. I do not recommend that. You never know the age or condition of the rope. Take the time for a snack at the dam. Then head back to your car. The hike is listed as 5 miles. The two of us each had 5.9 miles on our wrist measuring devices. Arrow Canyon is an historical place and a good hike. Treat the history well. Also, wear hiking boots. Don't try to hike this in sneakers unless you want very sore feet. Happy hiking!

We have done this hike at least once a year for the last 3 years, the first time we used a car so…read morethe hike was much further but if you use a high clearance vehicle you can get to the actual trailhead. If coming from Vegas, take 15 North to the Glendale exit near Moapa, take Route 168 about 11 miles until you see a house alone on the left with a gate to a dirt road. The dirt road will take you around the house to the road you will need a high clearance vehicle for, it's windy and rocky so be careful but it takes you to the trailhead, you can't drive any further. We've been the only people out here hiking at times so make sure your prepared for anything. The hike round trip is about 5 miles, pretty much no elevation change. There is a slot canyon section with petroglyphs so keep your eyes open as not to miss a thing. The turn around point is a dam, if you're a rock climber you can probably go further but we have our dog with us and never have. It can get muddy since it's basically a wash but the majority of the trail is rock. It's a fun and interesting hike...I can't believe it's not on here, I want to keep it to myself but I want you to experience it as well!

It is one of the shorter trail and easy access for Valley of Fire. It is 1.1 miles from Valley of…read moreFire. The entire trail last 1 miles round trip. Sandy trail with least strength and elevation differences is minor. Along the trail has petroglyphs on the wall. We saw human holding hand. I believe there is very much how many in the family. We also saw shape like goat, big horn sheep or deer. The drawing is interesting for many years ago. At the end of the track like small pool where look like mouse trap. This trail just need to bring camera. You will not require water.

This was our first hike inside the Valley of Fire. It is only .7 mikes but on the scorching day in…read moreJuly it was pretty challenging because of the heat. The trail is fairly easy to walk but the surface is soft sand so it takes a little longer to hike than it would on a hard surface. (In July the sand is so hot it burns right through your socks & sneakers!) Also there's not much breeze because there are large sandstone formations on each side of the trail. At the end there's a small opening where you can spy a hidden water source down a ways. (We May not have spotted it if we hadn't seen some birds flying overhead because there was no additional signage.). The trail is called a Mouse's Tank because there was a renegade Paiute Indian who was said to have secluded himself here in the 1890's. The Mojave Desert is extremely hot & dry; so this water source most likely kept him alive. Although the hike was short, I feel like it could have been marked a little better. Like I mentioned we almost missed the water source at the end of the trail because there was no signage. There were also supposed to be petroglyphs along the way, however we missed those too because there was no signs pointing them out.

Great hike in Lake Mead. Once you see Mile marker 16 turn left into the dirt road. Take the road to…read moreOre Car Mine sign pass the sign and go about 400ft past Ore Car Sign to where the road ends. The last 200 Feet Hike in or back in with vehicle there is no turn around use a guide there is a 10ft drop at end of road from there walk into the wash to the right and travel the wash the side that narrows and walk .75 miles you will then begin Anniversary Narrows. When you enter off Marker 16 you will only see one small sign for Anniversary Narrows 4x4 makes it easier you can go by car just take it very slow. No cell service so do not get hurt out there.

Epic hike! Only 45…read moremin from vegas to feel like your hiking in Antelope Canyon with a beautiful narrow slot canyon. Moderate hike definitely had some challenging areas but my legs are pretty strong from doing exercise classes so I took it slow and had a great experience. It rained in Vegas a few days prior to our hike, so the bowl of fire in the narrows was flooded about 3 feet. We took our shoes and socks off and slid our pants up and walked through it to get to the other side where the narrows begin. It was cold and unknown territory, but I'm so glad we did it because The rest of the hike was amazing.. Enter Lake Mead past the pay station and then turn left on North Shore Rd. Until you get to mile marker 16 take a left and follow the sign for Calville Wash until you see a fork in the road to the left is anniversary mine road. Keep left there. You don't wanna go to the right because it's deeper sand and without a 4 x 4 you may get stuck. So keep going left on anniversary mine Road it's a dirt road. You'll see some 2 WD parking shortly after being on that road but if you have a four-wheel-drive car, keep going down further until you see a wash. This will save you from having to walk further. From the 2WD point to the entrance of the narrows is 1.8 miles . You can't go any further into the wash because there's no way to get back up unless you have one of those big jumbo jeeps. Find some parking off the side of the road and walk into the wash, which is to the left. Follow the Wash for about a mile into the entrance of the narrows. There are several steep ledges throughout the hike and you'll see some spectacular hues of color throughout your time there.. once you reach the end of the narrows, you could keep going up to the top of the ridge and see an overlook of the narrows. There is also a mine that you can check out. We did not go any further than the end of the narrows, but plenty of other people were. We brought our two small dogs and everybody had a great time. Our friends from New York came with us and were deterred from the flooded fire bowl so they turned back and went to the car, but we continued on with our hike.

I originally found out about this place from a site I follow on Facebook, Roadtrippers (awesome…read moresite, by the way) and I had one of those, "what the" moments finding out this place is a quick 90-120 minutes away from where I live. A quick drive up I-15N and exit #112, Bunkerville (this is just south of Mesquite), and follow the signs to Whitney Pockets. You will the infamous Bundy Ranch area. The road is paved until you hit the Whitney Pockets area, then a HCV vehicle is needed. I did see a passenger car attempting to drive thru here, I guess it could be done, but it's not a place I would want to get stuck. Once you hit the trailhead area, you'll see a large red sandstone wall in the middle of nowhere. This is where you park. There are some really cool, preserved petroglyphs on the wall here. Make sure you look up to see them, they're kind of high up. From there it's a walk on a dirt road and dry wash to the area. There aren't any marking or cairns for the turnoffs to hit the trail to Little Finland, so it's best to go with someone who has been before, or do your research. The area is pretty darn cool. The sandstone rock formations get the name from wind and erosion that has made the made the rock appear to have fins. The area is really delicate, so be careful not to ruin what nature and time has created. Once you're in Litle Finland, there are more petroglyphs as well as some running water through the area. The minerals in the water made the water and rock turn colors, the entire area made me think I was on Mars. If you've ever been to Goblin Valley State Park, this is a miniature version of it. It's a pretty cool day trip.

Little Finland (aka Hobgoblin's Playground and Devil's Fire) is a magical place where wind and…read morewater have sculpted red sandstone rock into fantastical shapes. I just explored this unique area with my boyfriend and a group of hikers today. Located in a remote portion of the remote Gold Butte region of southeastern Nevada ( south of Mesquite), Little Finland was a challenge to get to...about an hour on bumpy unpaved road but well worth the effort. The rocks there are very ornate and delicate, so please becareful. If you are driving north on I-15 from Las Vegas, exit at #112 (Riverside / Bunkerville), turn right and go 3 miles to cross the Virgin River. Make a right turn at the next road (Gold Butte Road), drive twenty miles on loud bumpy pavement, becareful of the free range cows, the hit the graded dirt road for four more miles. Finally, turn right at the sign that indicates Red Bluff Springs and drive four more miles on a sandy uneven dirt road that requires a high clearance vehicle. This is your day long adventure, make sure you go prepared. Bring warm clothing, gloves, hat, lots of water, a snack or lunch, sturdy boots and most of all bring your camera! The most fascinating thing about this place is the fantasyland of shapes--almost every rock appears to be an animal, face, or mythical creature. It is mixed in with the intricate red rock sculptures are fields of virtually white sandstone with sinuous waves, remnants of ancient sand dunes. In other places, the rock is covered with a thin white crust--salt that has crystallized out of groundwater running through the rock. Go see it to believe it!

The refuge is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Since this is a remote area, there…read moreis no visitor center nor rangers as one sees in other refuges or national parks and recreation areas. Instead, it is "staffed" by volunteers for US Fish and Wildlife. The area once had a number of resorts because of the warm spring waters. At one time, much of the area was owned by Howard Hughes. Supposedly he bought the land after seeing it from a plane flying over the area. This is home to a wonderful display about the endangered Moapa dace, a small fish with two fins on the bottom of the stomach. There is an area where there is warm spring water from above that flows through a specially constructed exhibit that allows the fish to live in the stream but also allows visitors to see the fish through the glass. After seeing the two dace that were in the one section (pointed out to us by one of the volunteers), we started a walk around the refuge. It is enjoyable to see how creatively they used the terrain to create this refuge and to protect the dace. We did not hike to the viewpoint at the top of the hill, but saved that for another visit when the need to visit a riparian area beckons us. This is out of the way for most people to bother with, but it's a super way to leave Las Vegas and enjoy the rural setting and the water.

The refuge is a very quiet and peaceful place, seemingly away from the hustle and bustle of Las…read moreVegas and any loud noises or crowds of people. It is not open in the summer months past May (I can see why as that area gets hot!). It is much smaller than other refuges located within a few hours of Vegas, but still nice to visit. I recommend bringing a lunch and sitting on top of the hill and taking in the nice views from there. One draw of this refuge is the moapa dace, a fish on the brink of extinction and unique to this area. There is a viewing water tank where you can see these in their natural habitat and it is so fascinating and neat to see! There are restrooms here and volunteer rangers; the rangers we saw were both very nice and informative. Great escape from the city for an afternoon!

Very nice area for hunting waterfowl in southern Nevada. There are ponds, sloughs, and bulrushes,…read moreand fields. Parking is fairly close to the blinds which are well taken care of. Managed by NDOW and they do a great job.

Finally after passing the Overton Wildlife Management Area (abbreviated OWMA) a handful of years…read moreand exploring the landscape on Google Maps, this past Saturday I set my feet here, on a hiking adventure that lead me through the beautiful open spaces of the southernmost reaches of the Moapa Valley. OWMA encompass 17,665 acres of a desert riparian habitat where the town of Overton merges with the breathtaking landscapes of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Valley of Fire State Park. This is a popular spot for viewing wildlife, hiking, horseback riding, hiking, and hunting. When talking wildlife, OWMA is rich in wildlife. According to their website there are 265 species of birds seen here, 47 species of mammals, 22 species of fish, and 28 species of reptiles and amphibians. When it comes to wildlife there are many that come here to shoot them with cameras then others who come here to shoot them with guns. It is important to keep in mind that hunting season is September 1 to the middle of February. It is recommended that you call (702)-397-2142 to ask if it open the day that you plan to visit. Essentially, OWMA is a Spring hiking park. From this point forward, I will discuss my first hand experience here. It was part 3 of an all day adventure that started with a cruise on the North Shore Drive followed by the Lost City Museum. It tied in with the Lost City Museum because it is a part of the area it focused on where it ties in with the North Shore Drive in Lake Mead National Recreation Area because the Muddy River that flows through OWMA area discharges into Lake Mead. From Route 169, I pulled into a dirt road that ended at a parking area by a kiosk. On the way I passed a couple camping sites. From there I opened a gate before exploring the southern portion of OWMA. The hiking trail was a dirt road that reached out as far as the eye can see. Bordering it were forests of mesquite interspersed with cottonwoods and riparian plants. To avoid the Yelp character limit, I will get to the point of saying that the highlight of the hike were the fields the dirt road overlooked. The circular dirt road connected to additional dirt roads bordering the fields. The fields resembled life and death. Both Pintail & Wilson Ponds were dried pond peds. Nearby green fields adorned a landscape bordered by the mountains of Valley of Fire & Virgin Range in addition to a mesa. Interestingly the green fields represented part of the 160 acres used for farming. It was a surprise to see cattle on the land. It was another surprise to see how tiny the Muddy River was when I explored a spur trail. As I explored the OWMA, I was amazed by how different it was from the Mars landscape of Valley of Fire and North Shore Drive outside it. This reminded me more of hiking in a Florida Prairie than Mars. To put it simply, I was just amazed. I plan to return to OWMA next Spring. This time, I will skip the Lost City Museum and spend even more time here. When I return, I will be reaching it by ways of the North Shore Drive ($20 for 7 days or $40 annual pass). The sixty miles along the park road extended my adventure to and from Las Vegas.

This is a great 6.7 mile loop hike at Valley of Fire State Park. It is not a maintained trail and…read moreunless you know it's there, it's easy to miss. There is information at the Visitor Center, but the Visitor Center is undergoing renovation during this fall/winter. To get to the trailhead, drive in the Valley of Fire Road and keep going past the Visitor Center and then the Seven Sisters. After the turnoff to the Cabins, keep driving a little further and look for a small road on the left side that is for park employees only. This is the place to park as long as you don't block the road. The trailhead begins in a wash on the other side of the road. Cross the road and start into the wash. You'll see a sign that says "Charlie's Spring 5.5 miles" and on the hill to the right there's a monument with a cross on it. Hike down this wash. The monument is to Sergeant John C. Clark who died here in June 1915. You can walk up to the monument, but the hike is down the wash. Keep heading east in the wash. Several side washes come in from the right and left but stay in the main wash. It's gravel and hard to walk at times. The scenery is great! After about 2 miles, the wash narrows and you come to two gorgeous, sandstone dry falls. They are easy to climb down. A short time after the second dry fall, you'll start to see water as the spring water seeps out of the ground and forms a creek. Keep hiking. The springs stretch for about 1/2 mile. There are many reeds growing, a stream, and some beautifully eroded rock of various colors. At about the 3 mile point, you come to a power line road. Turn left and hike up this steep road out of the wash. Walk along the power line road until there's a split in the road, and you'll see a different wash heading back to the northwest (left). This is the different wash to take to get back to the car. Hike up this side wash until it gets so narrow you have to climb out and go cross country. Head north (right) and in about 1/2 mile, you'll come to the Valley of Fire Road near the east entrance fee station. Now all you have to do is get to the road, turn left, and walk the road back to your car. NOTE: I do not recommend you do this hike in a loop fashion unless you take GPS coordinates. The sandstone may tend to look the same if you don't know where you're going. Instead, hike down to the springs, enjoy, and then hike back the way you came. Here is a link to my EveryTrail report on this hike with GPS coordinates you can download to your GPS unit. I am also including a link to my website so you can see more photos. EveryTrail GPS coordinates: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=880776 More photos: http://gallery.me.com/nkresge#100778 Happy hiking!

First hike for the New Year...yeah!! Hiked this trail for the first time today! Located inside…read moreValley of Fire. Pay the $10 per vehicle fee and a good idea to make a stop at the visitor center and grab a map. We got there today around 12:15pm and finished at 3:15pm. It took us around 6 miles, easy-moderate loop in the backcountry of the park. Roughly a half mile in to the Valley of Fire, from the East entrance, you'll see a "historical marker" sign and a grave marker on your left. Go ahead and park in one of the pull outs and follow the unmarked trail down in to the wash. From here you can follow the wash for 2.5 miles to the spring. The trail is unmarked and the hike continues down the wash for about 2.75 miles to the spring. I don't like walking in the silky sand, however it was pretty cool we came across fresh bones, probably a bobcat attacked a big horn sheep. We also saw more bones near the spring which creeps me out a little. After a few miles of hiking, we approached a small section of narrows and slot canyon. I loved this area. It was dry but would have made a beautiful waterfalls.