We visited the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada in July with our kids. We picked one of the hottest weeks of the year to visit the area, so we knew we wouldn’t be doing any hiking, but, having been here before, I wanted to show off this gorgeous valley to Brian and the kids.

Valley of Fire State Park often gets overlooked by visitors to Las Vegas for two reasons: First, it’s about a 45 minute drive north to get here; Second, Red Rocks National Park is only about 10 minutes away and gets most of the attention. I’m here to tell you that the Valley of Fire is actually better than Red Rocks, and 100% worth the extra drive. It’s pretty unusual that a state park is more picturesque or interesting than a national one, but the whole family agreed that this one was, indeed, worth the trip.

The drive here is extremely easy, and we came early in the morning to try to beat some of the heat, although it was in the low 100’s by the time we arrived around 10am. The entrance fee is $15 for non-Nevada license plated vehicles, and when you arrive, you are given a handy little map of the main attractions as well as showing where the hiking trails are. There is also a very nice, air conditioned visitor’s center where you can grab knick-knacks, snacks and water, and there is more info about the park here too.

Most of the main attractions are right along the main road, and it’s super easy to drive around the entire park for about an hour and see everything. When the weather is not so dangerous, there are several short 1-2 mile hikes around the park, and you could spend an entire day here marveling at the gorgeous rock formations.

Some of the highlights along the main road are the “Beehives” which have criss-cross lines on the rocks which are unusual.

Arch Rock was also very cool, with a thin arch rock formation high among the boulders.

In some areas, even the sand/dirt is red, so even if there are no rocks around, it’s still a super cool view.

The scenery here is absolutely breathtaking, and if you only have one day to spend off the strip, I would recommend skipping Red Rocks, and taking the drive up to Valley of Fire.