We continue our “Escape the Tundra 2019” road trip in Las Vegas. From here on out the photos get even better, as the areas we pass through get even more beautiful. I would recommend ditching the cell phone and viewing the next few blogs on a laptop or desktop, where you can expand your vision.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.

Valley of Fire

March 1, 2019 brings us to a place I had never heard of until planning for this trip and setting our sights on Las Vegas. About ninety minutes northeast of our condo is Valley of Fire State Park, an extremely fascinating place. Visit the link for a beautiful video with much more detail of the trails and overlooks deep inside the park.

Other visitors were few and far between today, which made our drive very pleasant. I suppose things can get pretty congested at certain times of the year – between cars, bicycles and a lot more people. The road is quite wide and there are plenty of pullouts if you see something you like, which of course we did!

The park spans over 35,000 acres and although it’s pretty obvious, was named for its red sandstone formations that can appear to be on fire with the rising and setting sun. The formations were created from great shifting sand dunes more than 150 million years ago. I was just fascinated with the random piles of beautiful rock.

The Beehives (above) are unique sandstone designs created by layers of silt deposited in whichever direction the wind or water was moving at the time. There are many more beehives in this area and there is a nice trail that meanders through them.

The structures below are referred to as The Cabins and were used as shelter for travelers visiting the park. They were built from native sandstone by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) after the Valley of Fire became a state park in 1935. These days it’s just a great place to hang out for a bit.

There are covered areas throughout the park with tables for a picnic in the shade. Although today was very pleasant, those will come in handy in the summer months when temperatures average in the hundreds.

Today’s long and winding road continues for over ten miles, and connects the east and west entrances of the park. Designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway in 1995, this place is really something to see! With speed limits right around 25mph, frequent stopping at nearly every turn, and taking in a hike or two – you’ll want to arrive early in the day and stay late.

The road is like a ribbon running through the red rocks – with absolutely breathtaking scenery on both sides!

Another website with beautiful photos is Valley of Fire. There you can get information about planning your wedding here or links to all the hiking trails and points of interest in the park. Clearly we should have scheduled in one more day here!

“Valley of Fire is dominated by creosote bush, burro bush, and brittle bush. Cactus species such as beaver tail and cholla are also abundant. The springtime blooms with desert marigold, indigo bush, and desert mallow. This makes the park look especially spectacular in the spring.” – READ MORE

Although the website said the park is teeming with wildlife, it also says that most of its animals are nocturnal. We felt very fortunate to see a small herd of big horn sheep coming down out of the hills just ahead. We immediately pulled over as they started crossing the road. Luckily this one was as curious about us as we were about her, standing perfectly still for some photos!

Today was an absolutely fabulous day and well worth the long drive from Las Vegas. If we come up this way again however, we will probably try and stay in the Mesquite area for an opportunity to see a fabulous sunrise or sunset without the wicked drive back to our lodging.

Red Rock Canyon

Today was our last day in Las Vegas, and we spent it looking at red rocks – what a surprise!! Red Rock Canyon has been the backdrop for our condo for the last week. You may remember our recon on our first day in Vegas. Today we’re back to delve deeper since the one-way 13-mile Scenic Drive has been calling our name all week. The weather was a little fickle today – sunny one minute and cloudy the next – sweatshirt on, sweatshirt off.

The Calico Hills are named appropriately, with the fabulous colors of Aztec Sandstone and limestone, layered to perfection.

At our first overlook, along with the beautiful scenery, Jim is checking out the Lady in Red, who is having photos taken on the red rocks. She obviously looked stunning, with her flowing red dress, but where are her shoes? Hey wait – everyone at this photo shoot has bare feet! Kids these days…

Someone took a photo of Jim and I climbing the rocks for my blog (below). Ha ha, if you believe that, I’ve got a timeshare I’ll sell you! It was tough to get a photo without people today, but I guess it does give some perspective as to the size of the rocks.

The desert seems to go on as far as the eyes can see, with only the mountains in the distance interrupting our view.

What a pleasant place to sit and relax for a while, and give thanks for these awesome views. But mostly give thanks that we’re right here, right now and the folks back home are freezing their asses off!

Another day of winding roads and lunch with amazing views.

Next time you come to Las Vegas for gambling and getaways, drinking and debauchery, showgirls and God knows what! – make a stop at Red Rock Canyon. You’ll be so glad you did.

Next up: Zion in the Mist

Happy trails,
Barb