| Valley of Fire State Park | |
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  Valley of Fire State Park Location in Nevada | |
| Location | Clark County, Nevada, United States |
| Nearest city | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Coordinates | 36°28′20″N114°32′15″W / 36.47222°N 114.53750°W /36.47222; -114.53750[1] |
| Area | 45,937.88 acres (18,590.40 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 1,581 ft (482 m)[1] |
| Established | 1935 |
| Administered by | Nevada Division of State Parks |
| Visitors | 174,533 vehicles (in 2017)[3] |
| Designation | Nevada state park |
| Website | Official website |
| Designated | 1968 |
| Reference no. | 150 |
Valley of Fire State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area covering nearly 46,000 acres (19,000 ha) located 16 miles (26 km) south ofOverton,Nevada.[4] Thestate park derives its name from red sandstone formations, theAztec Sandstone, which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago.[5] These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays.[6] It is Nevada's oldest state park, as commemorated withNevada Historical Marker #150.[7] It was designated as aNational Natural Landmark in 1968.[8]
Valley of Fire is located in theMojave Desert 50 miles (80 km) northeast ofLas Vegas, at an elevation between 1,320–3,009 feet (402–917 m).[5] It abuts theLake Mead National Recreation Area on the east at theVirgin River confluence. It lies in a 4 by 6 mi (6.4 by 9.7 km) basin.
Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the landscape. The rough floor and jagged walls of the park contain brilliant formations of erodedsandstone andsand dunes more than 150 million years old. Other important rock formations includelimestones,shales, andconglomerates.[5]
Prehistoric inhabitants of the Valley of Fire included theAncestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, who were farmers from the nearby fertileMoapa Valley. Their approximate occupation span has been dated from 300 BC to 1150 AD. Their visits probably involvedhunting,food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited their stay. Fine examples ofrock art (petroglyphs) left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.[5]
The creation of Valley of Fire State Park began with the transfer of 8,760 acres (3,550 ha) of federal land to the state of Nevada in 1931.[7] Work on the park was initiated by theCivilian Conservation Corps in 1933. During the years of their employment, which continued into the early 1940s, the CCC workers built campgrounds, trails, stone visitor cabins, ramadas, and roads.[9] The park opened in 1934; it achieved official designation by thestate legislature in 1935.[6]
The Valley of Fire State Park has a dry and warm climate typical of theMojave Desert in which it lies. Winters are mild with daytime temperatures ranging from 54 °F (12 °C) to 75 °F (24 °C). and over night lows in the mid 30 °F's to low 50 °F's (3-12 °C). Storms moving east from the Pacific Ocean occasionally bring rain during winter months. Daily summer highs usually range from 100 °F (38 °C) to 115 °F (46 °C) and on occasion may reach near 120 °F (49 °C). Thunderstorms from the Southwestern Monsoon can produce heavy showers during summer. The average annual precipitation is 6.50" (165.1mm).
| Climate data for Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1972–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 87 (31) | 96 (36) | 100 (38) | 111 (44) | 118 (48) | 120 (49) | 116 (47) | 114 (46) | 102 (39) | 87 (31) | 80 (27) | 120 (49) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58.2 (14.6) | 62.7 (17.1) | 70.9 (21.6) | 79.1 (26.2) | 89.2 (31.8) | 100.2 (37.9) | 105.3 (40.7) | 103.6 (39.8) | 96.4 (35.8) | 82.5 (28.1) | 68.0 (20.0) | 57.0 (13.9) | 81.1 (27.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.2 (9.6) | 53.2 (11.8) | 60.3 (15.7) | 67.5 (19.7) | 77.2 (25.1) | 87.9 (31.1) | 93.7 (34.3) | 92.0 (33.3) | 84.4 (29.1) | 71.2 (21.8) | 57.9 (14.4) | 48.1 (8.9) | 70.2 (21.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 40.1 (4.5) | 43.7 (6.5) | 49.8 (9.9) | 55.9 (13.3) | 65.2 (18.4) | 75.7 (24.3) | 82.1 (27.8) | 80.3 (26.8) | 72.5 (22.5) | 60.0 (15.6) | 47.7 (8.7) | 39.3 (4.1) | 59.4 (15.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) | 18 (−8) | 29 (−2) | 29 (−2) | 42 (6) | 48 (9) | 64 (18) | 61 (16) | 49 (9) | 38 (3) | 28 (−2) | 12 (−11) | 12 (−11) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.78 (20) | 1.12 (28) | 0.76 (19) | 0.31 (7.9) | 0.18 (4.6) | 0.06 (1.5) | 0.68 (17) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.28 (7.1) | 0.42 (11) | 0.52 (13) | 0.81 (21) | 6.29 (160) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.3 (0.76) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 28.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Source:NOAA[10][11] | |||||||||||||
Valley of Fire Road is the main road accessing and traversing through the park. The 10.5-mile (16.9 km) section of the road between the east and west entrances of the park was officially designated as aNevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995.[12]
The park has a visitors center plus facilities for picnicking, camping, and hiking.[4] Petroglyphs are seen throughout the park, with Mouse's Tank and Atlatl Rock two areas in particular with numerous petroglyphs that are relatively easily accessible.[5] The park also preserves three stone cabins built by theCivilian Conservation Corps.
Valley of Fire is a popular location for shooting automobile commercials and other commercial photography. It has provided a setting for the following films and television shows:
On July 10, 2024, a park ranger shot and killed a man concerning some kind of disturbance call. As of July 11th, the justification for the shooting and the identities of the ranger and the man killed have not been released and the park was closed for two days.[16]
Media related toValley of Fire State Park at Wikimedia Commons (image gallery){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| LV Transportation | |||||||
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