Valley of Fire
Easy Day Ride
The Valley of Fire is a Nevada State Park north and east of Las Vegas. It has some really cool red sandstone formations. There is a $6 per vehicle entry fee. They charge for each motorcycle.
I meet people for this ride at an Iron Skillet next to the Las Vegas Speedway north of town on I-15. You want to have a full tank. From there head north on I-15 to the Moapa Tribal Smokeshop turnoff. The exit is marked for Valley of Fire. The road is also marked State 40.
This road starts out fairly straight and flat, but it will enter some hilly country and become rather twisty with lot’s of up and down. Last fall I saw some Desert Bighorn Sheep going through here. Eagles are also common throughout this area. You will eventually crest a summit and have a long down hill ride into the park.
A couple miles past the entrance where you pay the entrance fee, there is a turn-off to the camping and picnic area. There is a stairway up the rocks to some petroglyphs here and it makes a good rest stop. Further down the road is the Visitor Center. If you ride past and up the road further you’ll find a cool short ride through some sandstone hills.
Continue down the road and after you exit the park you’ll run into the North Shore Road in the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Take a right and head back to Vegas. I’ve got a good description of this road on my North Shore Road page. If you're short on gas or need some food, you can get refilled and refreshed at most of the marinas on the way back.
This can turn into a long days ride with all the opportunities for pictures. For more information: Valley of Fire State Park Website
