By Bob Difley
Getting chilly? Thinking it might be time to head south? Away from that increasingly cold wind coming down out of Alaska and Canada? Or maybe you’re waiting for the holidays to come so you can spend time with family. However, if you are not tied down with family or other obligations, you might want to consider getting a head start, but instead of heading directly for your winter digs, try a different location for a week or so, a high desert location that would be too cold in mid-winter but might be downright comfortable right now.
One place that comes to mind is Valley of Fire State Park in the Mojave Desert 55 miles north of Las Vegas and only six miles from Lake Mead. Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park and gets its name from the the park’s red sandstone formations. This park brings out the little boy on all of us, climbing the rocks, peering into eroded caves and through holes and arches, and giving names to the odd formations–such as bee hives, elephant rock, and grand piano. In addition you can find petrified logs, big horn sheep, Indian petroglyphs, secret slot canyons, an old movie site, and a rainbow of colors in the geologic formations. Paved scenic drives access most of the park’s attractions, but several hikes wind in and out of the strange and mysterious rocky formations.
There are primitive, nicely private, first-come-first-serve campsites tucked in the rock formations and some have water and electricity hookups. Now is the time to visit the park. It is open all year, though we got snowed on one Christmas we spent in the park. The first rate visitor center provides lots of information on the area as well as interpretive displays. This is an interesting and unique destination, and a break between your summer home and your winter snowbird roosting area.