75th Anniversary For Valley of Fire State Park Pt. 2

By Mike Donahue
Moapa Valley Progress

Mother Nature spent millions of years sculpting and shaping the harshly beautiful and rugged Valley of Fire some 18 miles southwest of Moapa Valley.

A stark contrast to the surrounding terrain, the Valley of Fire literally erupts from the desert in visual cacophony of incredibly brilliant sandstone formations including spires, arches, valleys, peaks and other massive natural structures colored a hundred shades of red, purple, pink, white and everything in between.

It was Nevada’s first state park and this year is its 75th birthday. On March 26, 1935, the Nevada State Park Commission was formed and its chairman, Col. Thomas Miller, a commander in the Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC) that helped construct facilities in the area, directed that Valley of Fire become a park.

Although the natural and otherworld beauty of the park made it a hit historically among locals and the knowledgeable throughout the Southwest, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it really became known as a must-see attraction within a day’s roundtrip drive from Las Vegas, which is only 50 miles southwest.

In 1963 the visitors’ center opened and the park was designated a national natural landmark, enhancing its reputation among tourists hungry for natural attractions, according to a timeline of development written by park personnel.
Today, some 500,000 visitors come to the Valley of Fire annually. Nearly one fifth of these are from other countries, according to Stephen Santee, one of four park rangers who live and work in the Valley of Fire.

“The popularity of the park grew in the 1970s with the development of a paved road and creation of camp sites at Arch

Rock and Atlatl Rock,” the ranger continued. “Currently there are about 70 camp sites located throughout the park.
“Of the 70 camping spots, only the 43 at Atlatl Rock are open in the summer because of the heat,” Santee said. “Some Atlatl sites are equipped with electricity and running water. The idea was that if we provided electricity for air conditioning on trailers and campers, the sites would get more use.”

Summer temperatures generally exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and often top 120 degress which makes air conditioning almost a necessity for comfortable camping.
Additionally, average rainfall in the park and all of Southern Nevada is 4.19 inches a year, with summer thunderstorms always possible especially in the Mojave monsoon season from July into September. Rangers generally caution visitors about possible flash floods during thunderstorms which can be brief but drenching and severe in the Valley of Fire.
Throughout the park there are restrooms, picnic areas, dump stations, interpretive trail plaques, picnic shelters and even showers.

Inside the visitors’ center, which is crafted from rugged natural stone to match the surrounding terrain, there are exhibits on geology, ecology, prehistory and the history of the park. In 2009, the state expanded facilities at the center constructing an office complex for park personnel.

Some of the other features in the park are:
• Atlatl Rock, a massive stone formation used by ancient Native Americans to inscribe petroglyphs or rock art including an atlatl, a notched stick used to hurl spears or long darts;
• The Beehives, unusual formations resembling enormous hives;
• Cabins, historic structures created in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC) workers as shelters for passing travelers;
• Mouses (sic)Tank, a natural basin that collects and holds water that was once used by a Southern Paiute named Mouse who used to the water to help him avoid a sheriff’s posse;
• Rainbow Vista, which offers a panoramic view of multi-colored formations, and
• White Domes, a collection of beautiful sandstone formations.

For decades the compelling natural magnificence of the Valley of Fire has been used by movie makers as a fantastic backdrop for their work. A small sampling of movies shot at the park include “Black Cyclone” in 1925; the first “One Million B.C.” from 1940; “Sheriff of Las Vegas” in 1944; “Helldorado,” 1946; “Bells of San Angelo,” 1947; “The Professionals,” 1966; “In Cold Blood,” 1967; “Freebie and the Bean,” 1974; “Legend of the Lone Ranger,” 1981; “Star Trek: Generations,” 1994; “Casino,: 1995; “American Sweethearts,” 2000; “Domino,” 2005; “Transformers,” 2007; “Aaron Bacon,” 2009, and “The Red Canvas,” 2010.
The park has also been used in innumerable television shows, music video productions, magazine layouts and product commercials.

The park and is open year around with camping available 24 hours a day. The picnic areas close at sundown and the visitors’ center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The park charges a $10 entrance fee per car with a $2 discount for Nevada residents. There is a camping fee of $20 plus $10 for utility hookups, with a $2 discount for Nevada residents.