Fire Wave, a rock formation in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
© Clint Losee/Tandem Stills + Motion
Flowing through Valley of Fire
Amid the arid expanse of the Mojave Desert in Nevada lies the natural grandeur of the Valley of Fire State Park. This park, which stretches across 46,000 acres, is named after the fiery red Aztec Sandstone, an Early Jurassic geological formation of made up of ancient sand dunes. The park's highlight, Fire Wave, is a geological marvel that appears like a frozen wave with its red, pink, and white stripes.
In the park, you will come across mysterious petroglyphs, rock carvings made by scratching on the rock's surface, left by the Ancestral Puebloans, who were farmers from the nearby Moapa Valley. It is likely they practiced hunting and performed religious ceremonies in this area. If you are a history buff, you might want to try and decode the cryptic messages carved on the rock faces. Well, put on your hiking shoes and get ready to wander, to wonder, and to witness the Valley of Fire State Park.