Valley of Fire & North Shore Road

[Nick]

I'm heading down to the Vegas area in a few days. We won't be camping but we're going to spend at least a full day up towards Valley of Fire. We were thinking of heading out of Vegas on the Northshore road that runs along the north side of Lake Mead and follow that into Valley of Fire. Any recommendations on specific hikes/areas to be sure not to miss? I've seen a lot of trip reports for Valley of Fire but not really any trail guides, maps or books so I'm assuming I can pretty much just drive into the place and the hikes will be fairly obvious?

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Good info in here: http://www.synnatschke.de/e-guides/store.php

I was planning on going to Valley of Fire today, but when I saw 30+ vehicles lined up at the entrance station to get in I pulled a U-turn and got the hell out of there!

 

[Yvonne]

along North Shore Road are some Hot Springs, you can bath in. Maybe something for you, Nick.
Bowl of Fire is another interesting area along North Shore Road, where you can go hiking.

http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/LAME/BowlFireSW/_BOFire_SW.htm

I can also recommend the Synnatschke eguide about Valley of Fire. They both know a lot about the area and you will find many ideas of where to go.

I can highly recommend just to hike cross country like I did last year. I started near Mouse's Tank TH and worked my way up and down to both sides to the park road. Some nice side canyons there, dozens of Arches, wonderful colorful sandstone. And you basically have everything by yourself.

 

[Seldom Seen Anderson]

Ya, the beauty of Valley of Fire is nearly everyone stays directly on trails (which are often Zionesque in the fact that there are a million people hiking them) or within eyesight of the roads. Any "exploration" and you will leave the crowds behind and still find cool things!

 

[HomerJ]

Good info in here: http://www.synnatschke.de/e-guides/store.php

I was planning on going to Valley of Fire today, but when I saw 30+ vehicles lined up at the entrance station to get in I pulled a U-turn and got the hell out of there!

That's how it was when I went, but after entering it wasn't at all crowded... Not sure where they all went. Maybe we went to the wrong places. LOL!

 

[pixie1339]

I concur with Yvonne's Bowl Of Fire suggestion. Another cool place to visit off Northshore Road is Anniversary Narrows:

http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/LAME/LovellWash_Narrows/_Lov_Narrows.htm

If you're only spending a day in the area, though, Valley Of Fire has enough cool stuff to keep you busy for a full day.

 

[Nick]

Well... back from Vegas but no Valley of Fire. We saved it for the last full day of the trip, but when we woke up that day there was like 30+ mph winds so we decided to just stick around the hotel, play some slots, drink some drinks and watch a movie. But on the bright side, we went into the casino that morning with $20 a piece and walked out with $600 by playing penny slots! Woot! We don't usually gamble.

 

[Yvonne]

Awesome!! Now it's time to invest in into new outdoor gear