Valley of Fire State Park

We would highly, highly recommend a visit to Valley of Fire. (Thank you Dee and Jerry for recommending this park to us!) Consider this as a potential day trip the next time you go to Vegas for business. It's a much shorter drive than to the Grand Canyon, and you can really experience the park in a day trip - something you can't do at the Grand Canyon. You could also make it a loop drive and drive back via Hwy 167 along Lake Mead NRA.

We couldn't decide why they called this park "Valley of Fire": is it because of the fiery red color of the rock or because the summer temperatures can reach burning hot temperatures of 120 degrees. We just considered ourselves lucky to be here in October!

Elephant Rock greets you at the east entrance:
A drive up to Rainbow Vista gives you a panoramic view of the area:
Several short hikes will get you immersed in red:
The trail by White Domes will even take you into a slot canyon. These narrow hallways of rock are one of nature's wonders.
I think they should call "White Domes" something different - like Rainbow Sherbert Domes. They're not just white. They are striped or splashed with many pastel colors. We'd climb to the top of a dome and just sit and sit soaking in the views. As the sun changed, the colors changed before our eyes.
And for those who like some history in their parks, there are hundreds of petroglyphs in different areas of the park.