Valley of Fire State Park is located northeast of Las Vegas and was Nevada’s first state park. The red Aztec sandstone outcroppings contrast vividly with gray and tan limestone. Colors swirl around jagged towers and gnarly terrain, creating a landscape that makes you feel like you’re inside of a painting.
Valley of Fire offers some great scenic drives with overlooks where you can stop and take in the park. Several short hikes offer opportunities to see petrified trees and petroglyphs. The Fire Wave Trail is a quintessential hike for views of the ancient sandstone and its swirling bands of color.
Harmon and I chose to detour through Valley of Fire on our way to Zion National Park. The drive from Las Vegas to Valley of Fire is scenic and desolate. For us, it was worth the detour.
The geologic history of Valley of Fire is fascinating. During the age of the dinosaurs, this area was a desert covered in sand dunes that eventually hardened into Aztec sandstone. Iron oxides, essentially rust, gives the sandstone its red color. Over time, groundwater moving through the rock altered its mineral coloring, bleaching some areas and redistributing iron in others. Over millions of years, tectonic forces fractured, tilted, and folded the layers, while wind and water carved the exposed rock into a one-of-a-kind landscape. It’s an ancient work of art.
The Takeaway
Life is like a work of art, uniquely and slowly shaped by our surroundings and the choices we make.
The Reflection
There are forces of nature beyond our control, both literally and figuratively. However, we can choose how we respond, the direction we pursue, and how we influence the environments we live in. Good things seem to happen when we remain focused on what we can control and contribute to healthy, productive environments where people can communicate well and thrive together. Environments where iron sharpens iron. I want to be a force of encouragement that helps people uncover their potential as I continue to discover my own.
Field Question
How can we help shape healthy environments that people thrive in?