March at Valley of Fire other recommendations in the area

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bkdraft62

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Hi all, I'm going to be camping at Valley of Fire in Nevada at the end of March for a few days. I'd like to go to other hikes or camping in the area that week as well.

Any recommendations? I'd prefer to stay within a few hours drive. I looked at Joshua Tree for example, does anyone have any other ideas in that area for camping/hiking?

Thank you!
 
bkdraft62 said:
Hi all, I'm going to be camping at Valley of Fire in Nevada at the end of March for a few days. I'd like to go to other hikes or camping in the area that week as well.

Any recommendations? I'd prefer to stay within a few hours drive. I looked at Joshua Tree for example, does anyone have any other ideas in that area for camping/hiking?

Thank you!
Click to expand...


St George - tons of hiking! That likely makes the most sense.

Three more remote places would be:
1) Gold Butte NM - the pack rats are very aggressive there and they adore chewing on car wires at night, so you have been warned.
2) Muddy Mountains Wilderness - you may need high clearance or 4 WDR in some areas.
3) Mojave Preserve - pay attention to which roads are closed and where you need HC and 4 WDR. And arrive with a full tank of gas.

Joshua Tree NP:
Joshua Tree NP (north entry), so close to Twentynine Palms is a 4 1/2 hr drive from Valley of Fire. It then takes 15-30 min from the entry to where you camp/hike. So that's NOT really close to VofF. FYI, Google Maps doesn't any longer show the route from Valley of Fire via Vegas via Primm, through the Mojave Preserve to Twentynine Palms due to an incident some moths ago, where people during a storm detoured from the Interstate and ended up stuck in deep sand on 4 WDR roads in the Mojave Preserve due to "Google Maps told me: do xyz....".
Having said that, there is a paved route through the Mojave Preserve - but you need proper navigation, it's NOT signed very well and some roads are closed.
 
re: St George
There are a few campgrounds in the area you might consider, Snow Canyon State Park and Red Cliffs. Both have great hiking trails walking distance.

If you are comfortable with backcountry camping and off-trail hiking, you could look into the Mormon Mountains and hikes like Moapa Peak.
 
bkdraft62 said:
Hi all, I'm going to be camping at Valley of Fire in Nevada at the end of March for a few days. I'd like to go to other hikes or camping in the area that week as well.

Any recommendations? I'd prefer to stay within a few hours drive. I looked at Joshua Tree for example, does anyone have any other ideas in that area for camping/hiking?

Thank you!
Click to expand...
I have a few follow-up questions. How comfortable are you with off-trail desert hiking? How much hiking would you want to do each day? And are you looking to avoid crowds?

The designated trails at Valley of Fire tend to be short and crowded, while the area's off-trail hikes (both in Valley of Fire and in the nearby Lake Mead National Recreation Area) offer wonderful scenery and far fewer people. But good navigational skills are a necessity with those off-trail routes; during my last visit at Valley of Fire, I came across two inexperienced hikers who couldn't find their way off the sandstone ridges even though they had downloaded the route on AllTrails.

I agree with the other posts that the St. George area is a good option, especially Snow Canyon. But as a local, I think that a lot of the best hikes in the area are at higher elevations, where winter conditions might be a concern at the end of March. At lower elevations, there are many enjoyable trails, but some of them lack a backcountry vibe because they're so close to developments and busy roads. (Admittedly, I've been spoiled by the extremely high caliber of the hiking across southern Utah!)
 
Hi all, @fossana I checked out the a few of the sites, I like Snow Canyon and Red Cliffs, camping is booked but hiking looks good and would be a great day trip. I also put in an alert if any sites open up that week.

I'll be renting a car so don't think I'll have a high clearance 4x4 to use.

@Titans I didn't realize Joshua Tree was that far away, probably farther than I want to drive for this trip.

@utahastro thats some great information and insight. I'm definitely not looking for a winter/snow hike, at least not lots of it. I'm ok with some off-trail hiking, but honestly, this is my first desert camping/hiking trip. Fewer people are always better for me.

I think I'm narrowing in on Snow Canyon or Red Cliffs, maybe something will open up camping between now and then, otherwise day trips since its so close with hiking looks good.
 
@bkdraft62 - If you prefer a campground vs dispersed camping, then you could check availability in "Quail Creek State Park" outside Hurricane and easily drive to Snow Canyon for hiking. On the satellite map it looks like Quail Creek CG is right up against the interstate, but there's a huge ridge in between the campground and the Interstate. Views are very nice. There is a fairly busy local road running right along all camp sites, but I would think that gets more quiet at night.

stateparks.utah.gov

Quail Creek State Park | Utah State Parks

Quail Creek State Park
stateparks.utah.gov stateparks.utah.gov
 
bkdraft62 said:
@utahastro thats some great information and insight. I'm definitely not looking for a winter/snow hike, at least not lots of it. I'm ok with some off-trail hiking, but honestly, this is my first desert camping/hiking trip. Fewer people are always better for me.

I think I'm narrowing in on Snow Canyon or Red Cliffs, maybe something will open up camping between now and then, otherwise day trips since its so close with hiking looks good.
Click to expand...
Normally, wintery conditions aren't a major concern in late March, and it can often be warm and sunny. But last year, southern Utah was stuck in a seemingly endless mid-winter weather pattern until about the first week of April.

For hiking, I would prioritize Snow Canyon over Red Cliffs. Of the official trails in Snow Canyon, the Petrified Dunes trail is the one that I'd most recommend. Even though it'll be crowded, it's a lot of fun to explore the slickrock in that area, and you can also turn it into a loop by adding on some of the nearby trails. There are also some fantastic off-trail hikes just outside of Snow Canyon, but considering the difficulty of the routefinding and scrambling, I probably wouldn't recommend them on your first desert hiking trip.

The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve has a vast network of trails just outside of St. George. However, if you want to see the best that the area has to offer, there are probably only a few trails in Red Cliffs that I would prioritize, particularly if the higher-elevation hikes are doable by then.
 
These are all great suggestions that came to my mind. Only additional thought I'd add is the Northshore Road of Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Pinto Valley/, Bowl of Fire, Redstone, Anniversary Narrows (all from pavement). Many quick access peak scrambles if you like that sort of thing too. A "Lake Mead Redstone" google search got me this:

Calville and Echo Bay Campgrounds have running water, flush toilets, and are $20. Shower at VoF....

If you are flying in and out of Vegas this is the book that got me oriented to the area:

Afoot and Afield
Las Vegas and Southern Nevada
Brian Beffort
Wilderness Press
 
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