11/3 Drive to Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire is about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas and is one of my favorite places.  I have been here several times and have enjoyed the bighorn sheep that sometimes wander through and the thousands of pictographs in the area. 

The campground is tucked away in an area where it is circled about 3/4s of the way with deep red rocks.  And the campground is relatively new with electric and water at several sites.  The only problem I have is that all Nevada state parks are first-come, first-served, which means that you need to get up very early to get here in the morning to make sure you can get a spot.  Plus, I like the spots near the edge of the campground because they have better cell service.  

So, I got up this morning very, very early for me, and unhooked and drove 80 miles to make it here by 10 am.  The drive starts along the south shore of Lake Mead and goes along the west side of the lake on a very long curving and scenic road through a lot of mountains. 

If I had had time, I would have liked to stop at the dam and even the visitor center, but i have been there before and just no time this morning.  Anyway, here is Lake Mead with not a lot of water in it.

Talk about a bathtub ring.  This lake is as bad as Lake Powell! 

You could get a geology lesson from this area! 

After about 60 miles, you start to see red rock.

Just before you get to the state park entrance, you see the northern tip of Lake Mead. 

You can see why they call this area Valley of Fire.  The rocks are red because of iron ore in them.

 

 

Inside the park now.  Very pretty.

This is inside the campground.  

 

I know people who will not stay here because of two rocks that look like they could easily be pushed over by a couple of boy scout leaders! Thiis is the front view of one large rock, about the size of a small house.

 

 

And an even scarier side view of the larger rock. 

 

 This is a smaller rock, maybe only the size of a car. 

And a closeup of the smaller rock. 

By the time I arrived here, there were only three empty sites.  I got my favorite handicap site where I had stayed before.  I chose it because it was close to the valley and better cell service.  Last time I was here in March, 2019, there was only one regular and one handicap site and the camp host insisted I take this one because she said the handicap sites don't get used, and they have several.  Other good news is that the Verizon service is MUCH better here now, and they even have internet access for a fee, but of course I have my own mobile hotspots. 

I'll be here for five nights and then will go back to Lake Mead and stay at the no hookup Boulder Beach.  It has nice paved sites, and also is right on the paved bike path that I can take almost to the dam. 

By the way, if you come to the Lake Mead area and think you know your way around, forget it!  In the last 18 months since I last visited, they opened a new stretch of freeway that takes you way out of your way if you miss the new exits.  I learned that lesson last week when I went to the Boulder City post office, so this trip I managed to get off at one of the new exits which took me where I had wanted to go last week!