This is a continuation of my Death Valley National Park camping/hiking adventure. 4 days @ DVNP, and 2 days @ Valley of Fire State Park.

My first visit to this park was in March, 2019, where I spent just a few hours exploring the beauty of it. I promised myself that I would come back. This time, camping included.

Day 1.

Drove from Death Valley National Park to Valley of Fire State Park. It was about 2.5 hr drive. Arrived in the afternoon, and quickly checked the 2 campgrounds in the park – Atlatl Rock Campground and Arch Rock Campground. Atlatl is the bigger campground, with more amenities than Arch Rock – flush toilets and hot showers. Yes, hot showers! It was not crowded this time of year so plenty of sites available in Atlatl Rock Campground. Arch Rock Campground is more primitive and quiet. Another thing – RVs are allowed only in Atlatl Rock Campground.

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After setting my tent at that perfect spot, went to the Visitor Center to get some information. Got the basic park map, and decided to visit what I can before heading back to the camp site. Tomorrow will be the big day to explore the whole park.

Drove to the East Side of the park to see the Elephant Rock. It’s basically on the side of the road, next to the East Entrance – no hiking required. Same thing for the Cabins. The Petrified Logs on the East Side, I skipped. I already saw the Petrified Logs on the West Side of the park. Now, if you really wanted to see some petrified woods, I highly suggest Petrified Forest National Park.

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It was getting dark, and time to get back to the camp. Took a shower before preparing for dinner. Ahhh, that hot shower felt good. Enjoyed a quiet moment at the camp fire, with a beer, or 2.

Day 2.

The real beauty of camping in the park is that those who have camped have early access to the scenic sites, which tends to get crowded when the park opens. After a quick breakfast, I broke camp and went on to see and explore some of the main attractions the park has to offer, all along Mouse’s Tank Rd / White Dome Rd. I was a happy kid exploring Rainbow Vista, Fire Canyon Overlook, and Fire Wave without seeing anyone. The crowd started to arrive by the time I finished my time at Fire Wave. The last on the road was the White Domes. Took pictures, lots of pictures, from every corner of each scenic spots.

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Everything in this park is beautiful. The vivid color of the landscape is just amazing. And when you’re here, you become a kid, no matter how old you are. And again, this is just a short drive from the city of Las Vegas. So when you think of going to Vegas, think of this park – Valley of Fire State Park.

Lastly, if you ever visit the park, go look for these… and let me know if you see them…

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