Ranger Rick: Valley of Fire State Park

Las Vegas is the yearly home of thousands of quirky Star Trek fans who come to the city to celebrate the renowned sci-fi show. Fittingly, it was about 50 miles north of Las Vegas where the legendary Captain Kirk fell to his death in “Star Trek Generations,” which was filmed at the Valley of Fire.

The Valley of Fire is not only known for Star Trek lore though. Its red landscape has been the home to many things over the last 150 million years, including dinosaurs, Native Americans and a number of movies.

Valley of Fire sits slightly north of Lake Mead where its red sandstone formations appear to be on fire when the sun casts its light on them. The formations were created over years of shifting sand dunes and are the park’s centerpiece attraction.

Of course these aren’t just any rock formations. One of them is called Elephant Rock because from one side it appears to be a large elephant with a long trunk. Other rocks still hold windows into the past via petroglyphs from Native Americans that date back more than 3,000 years.

While people no longer inhabit the area, it is still home to rattlesnakes, coyotes and bighorn sheep, Nevada’s state animal. Visitors can also camp in the area, hike, rock climb or swim at Roger Springs.

The park, which spans more than 36,000 acres, opened in 1935 and was the Nevada’s first park. It now welcomes more than 300,000 visitors a year and served as the backdrop to movies like “Transformers,” “10,000 B.C.,” and as the red landscape of Mars in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Total Recall.”

If you are not an experienced hiker/camper, you too can still enjoy a day out at the majestic scenery as Galavantier.com offers a Valley of Fire Tour via Pink Jeep Tours.