VALLEY OF FIRE & HOOVER DAY: THE PERFECT DAY TRIP FROM LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas can be very overwhelming. The constant hum of slot machines, the windowless rooms, all the feathers, sequins, and mix of excited energy & disappointment coated in cigarette smoke – it can be a little much.

No doubt, there is so much to see and do packed into a strip of land, but if you are like me, after a day or two, you are looking for a little break from the strip. And more so, some fresh air and wide open spaces.

Enter the perfect day trip from Las Vegas: A spectacular road trip loop that goes through Valley of Fire, Lake Mead Recreational Area, and Hoover Dam!

GENERAL INFORMATION

You can find day tours to Valley of Fire and/or Hoover Dam from Las Vegas, but I would suggest renting a car. With your own car, you can go at your own pace … plus, road trips are much more fun that day tours.

Valley of Fire is open from sunrise to sunset. The entrance fee to Valley of Fire is $10 per vehicle or $15 for Non-NV vehicles. Be prepared with exact cash incase you need to use a self-pay station.

This route takes you through Lake Mead Recreational Area which is $25 per vehicle. That said, Lake Mead is part of NPS, so if you have an interagency pass, it will be “free” for you. Just remember to bring it.

The Hoover Dam itself is free. There may be parking fees (ranging from $0-$10 depending on where you park) or entrance fees to any exhibits, but the dam itself is free.


**Always check websites for the most up to date information.

VALLEY OF FIRE

Driving from Las Vegas, it will take a little over an hour to get the Valley of Fire visitor center from the Las Vegas strip.

Entering from the West Entrance, your first stops will be The Beehives, Arch Rock, and Atlatl Rock. These are all relatively quick stops. The Beehives are unique sandstone rocks that have been naturally formed by nature and look like little beehives. Arch Rock is a quick photo stop. And Atlatl Rock is your first look at some of the petroglyphs in the park.

All of these stops are right near the west entrance that includes the 2 Mile scenic road – your first little taste of Valley of Fire.

From there you will move onto the Valley of Fire Visitor Center, which is also the parking lot to the viewpoint of Balanced Rock. The visitor center is also the beginning of Mouse Tank Road (aka: White Domes Road), a ~5 mile scenic road.

Start by going all the way to the end of the road – to the White Domes trailhead parking lot, then make your way back to the visitor center stopping at the following:

• Fire Wave trailhead (this is Parking lot #3). The Fire Wave trail is ~1.5 miles, O&B. The trail is not too difficult, but there is little to no shade in the desert sun. Going out would depend on the time of day you make it here. I would not recommend going out midday. And if you do decide to go, make sure you have water and follow the markers (a lot of the ‘trail’ is just going marker to marker – there isn’t a defined ‘trail’ to follow).
  
• Pastel (Pink) Canyon. This isn’t on the Valley of Fire map as a solo stop yet. It is part of the “7 Wonders Loop” that combines the Fire Wave trail with Pink Canyon and wraps back around to parking lot #3. The “7 Wonders Loop” is ~a 2 mile loop. I didn’t do the loop when I was there (kinda of wish I did – but didn’t know about it until I was there … and like I said previously – in that desert sun, you want to be prepared and I didn’t feel prepared … next time!), so I can’t speak specifically to it. But, if you don’t want to do the loop, there is a small pull off on the side of the road (enough for a couple cars) at the entrance of Pink Canyon, and you can just check it out from there.
  
• Fire Canyon lookout. This is a quick photo stop .. and pee break if you need it.
  
• Rainbow Vista. This can be as quick or long as you like. The full trail is ~1 mile, but you can see a lot from the parking lot and can go as far down the trail as you like … this is a good picnic spot, too, if you need it. In addition, if you cross the street from the rainbow vista parking lot – that boulder is the unofficial Mouse Tank Road Viewpoint to get that famous road shot.
  
• Mouse Tank Trail. Last stop on Mouse Tank Road will be Mouse Tank Trail (aka: petroglyph canyon). This is a flat, ~0.7 mile trail where you can see petroglyphs along the canyon walls. Go slow – the petroglyphs are hard to spot at first, but once you see them, you’ll be able to start spotting them easier and easier.

Once you are back on the main road heading east, you will see Seven Sisters on your right. This is a quick photo stop. Then continue on to The Cabins. Again, a relatively quick photo stop.

Last stop before leaving Valley of Fire is Elephant Rock. This is an ~1 mile hike to a rock that is naturally shaped like an elephant. You’ll know it once you see it.

LAKE MEAD RECREATIONAL AREA

Once you exit Valley of Fire through the East Entrance, Lake Mead Recreational Area is immediately to your right.

You will drive through Lake Mead Recreational Area for ~1.5 hours that connects you from Valley of Fire to Hoover Dam.

Along the way you can stop at Rogers Springs (a little hot spring to get refreshed after playing around in Valley of Fire) or Redstone Park (just in case you haven’t had a fill of the beautiful red rocks yet – this is also another good picnic spot).

You should also stop at some of the scenic viewpoints for .. well .. the views.

HOOVER DAM

The last stop on the loops before heading back to Vegas will be Hoover Dam.

For those not afraid of heights, you can park at the bridge overlook to do the Memorial Bridge Walkway. This will give you those views from above … but I wouldn’t recommend if you have a thing with heights – that bridge is HIGH.

Then continue down to the bridge where you can drive right over the Hoover Dam.

Both Guided and Self-Guided Tours of the Hoover Dam are available.

When you are done it is time to grab a coffee from the Hoover Dam Cafe and head back to Las Vegas. It will take ~45 minutes to get from the Hoover Dam to Las Vegas.

PIN ME FOR LATER