1/29 Valley of Fire State Park, NV

I have been here several times, but always enjoy going back for a week or two.  There are two ways to get here--the first is to drive north from Las Vegas on I-15, but my favorite is to drive north from the west entrance to Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  Just a few hundred feet after you go through the park entrance booth, you will see a sign directing you to make a left turn onto a road, Northshore Drive, that goes to the small town of Moapa Valley.  This road eventually becomes NV route 169, and is really beautiful.  No stores, gas stations, or anything else on it, but after about 30 miles, and before you get to the town, you will go through another gate leaving Lake Mead.  Just past this gate, you will find the park road that takes you to Valley of Fire.

A warning--Valley of Fire State Park is huge!  It is about 80 square miles and equidistant from both I-5 and NV 169/Northshore Drive.  It's about a 10 miles from from the west and a 4 mile drive from the east before you get to the park entrance gates and the prettiest part of the park.  

No camp store, so if you are camping, take everything you need.  And if you are just doing a day trip, the visitor center does have some cold drinks and snacks. Below is the eastern gate to the state park. 

The dark red Aztec Sandstone rocks, from which this state park gets its name, were formed by blowing sand during the Jurassic Era. The sand was covered up for millions of years, but as the land rose, it eroded and the area was used by Native Americans as far back as 11,000 years ago.     

The campground is a couple of miles west of the visitor center, and tucked into a semicircle of red rocks.  Here are a few photos I took this year.  Unfortunately, it was very chilly during the 12 days I spent here, so I did not do much exploring.  In addition, the other reason for coming here, to see a lot of Big Horn Sheep, did not work out because the area has been so dry.  Normally, a bachelor group of rams hang out around the campground, but they were just not around this year. 

However, if you do want to see some sheep from a few years ago, click here: 

This year, I was lucky to get one of my favorite spots--a handicap site that was paved and near the opening of the half-circle, so cell phone access was better than other sites.  Terrific view, as well.

 

 

The one disadvantage of this campground is that the roads are gravel/dirt, so winds do bring a lot of dust into your site and rig.  That was one reason why I wanted a paved site.  Also, only about half the campsites have electric and water hookups, but there are showers and some very nice private restrooms. 

 

 

Just incredible views right outside your door!  

 

 

 

Since the campsites are tucked into this semicircle of rocky hills, and because the rocks are made of sandstone, erosion over the eons has caused a lot of caves and place for kids and adults to climb on.  Bighorn Sheep like these rocks also because they provide protection, although the ewes and their lambs really don't come here very often.  Mostly they are up in the higher areas behind the visitor center where the rams cannot bother the babies.   

 

 

Campsites are well-spread apart, and every site has a covered cement picnic table. 

 

 

At the far end of the campground is a walk-in are specifically for tents.  Knowing that the Big Horn Sheep hang around this area, I decided to go for a walk back here.  

 

 

Back behind the big rocks to the left in this photo, I found a lot of animal droppings.  In looking them up, they were nearly all from the sheep.  Apparently, they have recently been using the large rock as a windbreak at night or in bad weather because there were so many droppings, they had to be from at least a small herd. 

While I was back here exploring, along came a couple of horseback riders!  Just as they reached the campground, they cut through an opening in the rocks and headed west.

Now, this was interesting.  This little animal track highway came from under a bush, and based on its width of about 4-6", I suspect it came from one or a small family of desert cottontail bunnies!! 

In the past when I have been here, it was a lot easier to see Big Horn Sheep tracks because there had been occasional winter rain.  This year, everything was covered up by dog or human footprints.  

However, if you would like to see how a 9-member herd of rams reacted to a small crack in a campground water line, go to this posting from January, 2021, when I was here:  http://grandmajjb.blogspot.com/2021/01/14-valley-of-fire-bighorn-sheep.html

Also, another reason for coming to this state park is to see all the ancient pictographs that the Native Americans made when they used this area heavily.  One fairly easy area to walk to is "Mouse's Tank."  A tank in the desert is a large depression that holds rainwater for weeks and months, and so is an important resource.  As they camped along the shallow canyon that leads to this tank, they pecked out hundreds of images on the dark rocks.  

In other words, the dark oxidized rock is their canvas and and stones to peck at these and remove a layer of the black color are their paintbrushes.  A big problem is that over time, the black coating of the rock or the rock itself falls to the ground or is eroded, so these images will not last forever.   

I took these photos of a walk to Mouse's Tank in 2018:  http://grandmajjb.blogspot.com/2018/01/14-mouses-tank-trail-valley-of-fire.html

1/17 Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV

It was a beautiful sunny day today, if a bit chilly.  And I was moving from one campground to another campground that was only about an hour-and-a-half drive away, so as I drove past Hoover Dam, I saw the signs directing you to the visitor area, so I made a quick decision and decided to stop for a while.  I had been here several years ago, but I figured it was worthwhile to see it again.  

Last time I was here, this new bridge had just been completed.  Before 2010, you had no choice to drive over the dam to get to the Arizona side of the river.  This took a long time, obviously, and was a serious security risk, so the new bridge is very handy.  The only negative is that the bridge tends to have high winds over it, so high vehicles like mine are told to move into the left/center lane so we don't get blown off!  

 

 

There are lots of signs warning you as you drive towards the dam listing the things you are not allowed to bring with you.  Also, you have to stop at a security checkpoint to have your car or RV inspected.  Luckily, today was a Friday, and there were no crowds of tourists, so I had no wait, and the inspection took only about five minutes, although I did have to let one of the inspectors inside.  He just stepped up onto my entrance rug, looked around, and said everything looked OK, so I drove on. 

 

This next photo shows the approach to the dam from the Nevada side.  There is a new parking structure to the left here, just before the big rock wall, but there is also parking for big vehicles and more cars on the other side of the dam.  So you can still drive across it if you want to. 

 

I wonder how many tourists let the bridge people know that this electrical tower is about to fall? 

 

 

Approaching the drive over the dam.  Walkers are constantly walking across the roadway, so you do have to drive very slowly and stop for pedestrians. 

 

 

One problem with parking on the Arizona side of the dam is that nearly all of the parking is along a road that zigs and zags up the mountain.  My problem was that I cannot walk that long of a distance, so as I came back after turning around at the top, I drove back down and found the $10 lot shown low in the distance.  Lots of room for my big vehicle and while walk was still long, it was doable.  

 

 

 

At least I got a good view of the overflow channels on my walk. 

Glad it was a cool day for walking. 

Nice view of Lake Mead.  Note the white "bathtub ring" that shows how deep the lake used to be.  There is also a tiny white sailboat in this photo, which shows you how wide the river is here.

   I crossed the roadway to take some photos of the opposite side of the dam. 

 

 

This is the old exhibit building.  Unfortunately, not only is this old exhibit building closed right now, but so is the newer one that they are still working on!  

The brown building is now the tour headquarters, but it will also be an exhibit hall later this spring.

Went back to my rig, and am now driving back across the bridge. 

And on to my next campground where I will stay for 13 days.  Hoping to see the bighorn sheep that hang around that area. 

1/16 Boulder Beach Campground, Lake Mead, Nevada

Boulder Beach Campground is one of the nicest no-hookup places I have ever experienced.  The roadways are paved, as are all the campsite pads.  This means no blowing sand or dirt, as I experienced in Big Bend.  Sites are also fairly spread apart and are quite large.  Nice landscaping on and between sites, as well.  

Two other big advantages of this place, are the views of the mountains and Lake Mead, though the lake is a long walk from the campground these days because of the low water level.  There is also a very nice, paved bike trail that goes past the campground and almost the entire width of Lake Mead--very nice!   

The campground has water spigots in several places around campsites, and there is also a nice dump station and fresh water fill area.  No showers, however.

The nearby city of Boulder City, by the way, is a good place to stock up on things like gas and groceries.  Otherwise, you have to go a lot closer to Henderson, NV, and Las Vegas.  Here is the road from Boulder City that goes down to Hoover Dame and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  Nice view of the lake, but the white "bathtub ring" shows you what the lake level originally was.   

It was a beautiful, sunny day today, though a bit chilly.  This area has not had rain for almost a year, so it is in a serious drought condition! 

You will need to pay an entrance fee to get into the Lake Mead national park area.  Or, you can use your federal senior pass if you have one, as I do. 

A few pictures of the campsites.  And most importantly, you can use a generator all day, except for quiet hours, which are from 10 pm to 6 am.  This is VERY generous, but this are can be pretty hot during the summer.  (It can also be below freezing at night during the winter, so you need to be prepared for both conditions!)

Lots of empty spaces available, but you now need to make reservations online, even if you just drop-in.  I had to do this last time I was here--pulled over along the campground roadway, sat in my vehicle,and went online to recreation.gov! 

The lake is more than half a mile away, though it looks closer in this photo.  Not sure what the beach looks like because I have never walked down to it. 

 

 

I drove in through the east entrance closest to Boulder City, but I drove out the west entrance because I needed to stop in Henderson to pick up a couple of prescription.  Even if you do not need to head towards Las Vegas, this is a very nice drive with several parking areas to view the lake.  

 

 

Some people say that the desert is boring because there is nothing there, but I think it has a beauty of its own, especially when there are craggy mountains in the distance. 

I tried to get a better picture, but there is another campground in the lower right of this photo. It is not as pretty nor are the roads and sites as recently paved, but it is a good choice if you cannot get a site at Boulder Beach.

Also, on this trip, just before I left the national park, I turned right on Northshore Road, so I am including some photos from that area.  The road heads north along the lake and provides access to several places on the north shore of Lake Mead.  There is a marina and campground there as well.  It's a nice road with a lot of pull-offs, and is seldom busy.  

The road also takes you to Valley of Fire State Park and the small town of Moapa.  Might seem like a lot of nothing in this area, but it is a true wilderness area.

If you ever go to Las Vegas for gambling and shows, take an extra day or two and visit some of the beautiful areas around this part of Nevada!