Valley of Fire

Thunderstorm Arch, Valley of Fire State Park.

Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park is a gem. While the park boasts good hiking, excellent campgrounds nestled in red rock, and an interesting mountain bike trail, it's the photography opportunities that really set it apart.  I visited and hiked Valley of Fire about 10 years ago and came away only mildly impressed. I've since learned that most of the best places to see are not on established trails. It's been photographers that have wandered off the trail and discovered the unusual textures and coloration of the Aztec Sandstone.

Here are the photos from our family vacation to Valley Fire in October which included a quick trip to the St. Thomas ghost town and Lake Mead.

The Fire Wave in the central part of the park was largely unknown until discovered by photographers. There is a newer trail that now extends to the Fire Wave, but an unmarked route up the "Pink Wash" (photos below) is shorter and extremely photogenic.

Ava admires the Fire Wave just before sundown.

Fire Wave.

Valley of Fire's Pink Wash (Kaolin Wash on maps) isn't the tallest or skinniest slot in the world, but it is certainly one of the most colorful.

Pink Wash.

Taking a break in the slickrock wonderland near Pink Wash.

The narrows of Pink Wash.

The elusive Windstone Arch.

Windstone arch: opposite side.

Near Arch Rock Campground.

Piano Rock, Valley of Fire State Park.

There are a couple of old dirt roads, now converted to seldom-used trails, that are open to mountain biking. I thoroughly enjoyed my early morning ride down the faded Old Arrowhead Road Trail that meanders through the open desert. Long before Interstate 15 and other modern paved highways were built in the area, the Arrowhead Road was the main route connecting Utah, Nevada, and California. Old bean and oil cans and other trash from the 1910s-1940s can still be found near old campsites adjacent to the road (now trail).

Sunrise at the trailhead for the Old Arrowhead Road Trail.

Curious bighorn sheep watch a mountain biker on the Old Arrowhead Road Trail. 

Cruising down (heading west to east) the Arrowhead trail and then back up the main highway to the campgrounds make a memorable early morning loop ride.

I couldn't believe how lucky we were to actually catch a rainbow at the Rainbow Vista Overlook.

Ava and Ren play on slickrock along the White Domes Loop.

Short but sweet slot canyon carved by flood waters of Kaolin Wash on the White Domes Loop.

White Domes Loop.

Near the trailhead for the White Domes Loop.

Petroglyphs near Mouse's Tank Picnic Area.

Near Kaolin Wash.

Near Kaolin Wash.

Ava sits near the top of "Crazy Hill".

Ren rests under Thunderstorm Arch.

A quick dip in Lake Mead.

We spent an afternoon hiking around the once-submerged remains of St. Thomas near the Overton arm of Lake Mead. Mormons settled St. Thomas along the Muddy River in 1865, but later abandoned the town in 1871 when the settlers were told they actually lived in Nevada rather than Utah. Refusing to pay back-taxes to Nevada, the settlers moved on, most settling in the Orderville-Glendale area of southern Utah. Others were happy to move into the abandoned village, but they too were eventually forced to leave a few years after the completion of Hoover Dam in 1935. The impounded waters of the Colorado and Virgin Rivers finally flooded St. Thomas in 1938 forcing the last resident to exit by boat with his belongings. A decade of drought has signicantly lowered Lake Mead, revealing the ghostly remains of this once thriving community.

Mud cracks on the dry lake bed. Some speculate that Lake Mead may never reach full pool again.

Lake Mead reaches the St. Thomas Post Office. Nevada Historical Society photo.

Abandoned building partially submerged by Lake Mead in 1938.  UNLV Special Collections photo.

Back side of the St. Thomas schoolhouse.

Ice cream parlor.

Front of the St. Thomas schoolhouse.

St. Thomas schoolhouse in the mid 1930s before being stripped of her bricks and being buried by Lake Mead.