About an hour away from Las Vegas is the Valley of Fire National State Park, and it is well worth a visit if you need a break from the strip! It is Nevada’s oldest state park and has some impressive sights.
As you come over the hill towards the entrance the view is amazing and the further you go the better it gets!
The Valley of Fire costs $10 per car for a day and you self pay on the way in by filling in a form on an envelope and posting the money, taking a receipt. There is a fine of nearly $200 for not paying so I wouldn’t risk it.
The scenery is like no other with amazing colours and rock formations. There are bright red sandstone outcrops amongst gray and beige limestone. The history stands out so much that you can just imagine the dinosaurs roaming through the landscape or the ancient tribes.
The national park has a good road right through it with a few places to stop and park and a few other roads off the main road to some of the sights and a couple of camping grounds. There is a visitor center in the middle of the park with toilets, a small shop and information about the park.
There are walking trails from some of these parking places but it is not advisable to do these if the weather is too hot. You can see a lot from the car and stopping at the rest areas though.
As you drive through the park the scenery and rock formations change and some of the views are breathtaking!
There is even one part where you can climb steps to see ancient petroglyphs drawn in the rock by natives arrows, more than 2,000 years ago! Further on you can see ancient, petrified trees!
The park is in the middle of the desert and it can be extremely hot! We got there at 8am as the visitor center opens at 8:30. The weather was bearable and the park was not at all busy.
Taking a child with an ASD to Valley of Fire?
It takes an hour to drive to the park from Las Vegas and there is a fair bit of driving to get through the park.
There are rest areas and toilets throughout the park.
The ground is uneven, it is not ok to climb the rocks and there are some areas which are high up.
It is peaceful and early in the morning you almost feel like you have the place to yourself.
Information about the park can be found at: http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire
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