Valley of Fire

Fire Valley glimmers in brilliant crimson hues and vivid colors spread about the desert in the early morning sunlight. These are some of the oldest natural rock formations known to mankind. Valley of Fire derives its name from the fact that the very rocks in the formation often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. 

These are incredibly rough, stark red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape. Valley of Fire is considered Nevada's oldest state park, opening in 1935.

The park covers almost 36,000 acres and gets its name from its fiery multi-red colored sandstone. These ragged and harsh formations are the result of fossilized sandstone and sand dunes which formed 150 million years ago. They were created by a dramatic shift in the Earth's crust, then complex uplifting and faulting and followed by extensive wind and water erosion over time, has sculpted what we see today.

I lensed this while flying and filming in the Mojave Desert area southeast of Mesquite, Nevada looking for interesting formations. The vivid splashes of vibrant colors filled the entire area with a bright glow which from the air had a soft warm quality to it.

This is an unusually harsh environment yet ancestral First Nations tribes are thought to have migrated to the region about 300 B.C. and survived on a vegetarian diet consisting of all kinds of cactus and plants including yucca, mesquite tree, prickly pear and beaver tail. Eventually, they learned to plant corn and beans and hunt animals like rabbit, sheep and antelope.

Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, also known as the Anasazi, who were farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. Their approximate span of occupation has been dated from 300 BC to 1150 AD.  Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited their stay.

Fine examples of rock art (petroglyphs) left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park. 

These days only wild animals dwell in Valley of Fire year-round. Rattlesnakes, kangaroo rats, kit foxes, coyotes, bighorn sheep and the white tailed antelope ground squirrels are just a few of the animals that inhabit the area.\

On the other side of the valley in this image lays the First Nations Moapa Indian Reservation. These are the descendants of the original people who occupied these lands for so long. In the background is the Las Vegas Mountain Range on the left and the Arrow Canyon Range on the right of the horizon.

This is from "Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition" my personal project of exploration in the North American Wilderness. I am on a mission to raise awareness of our Iconic, Natural Heritage Treasures of North America.

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Yehaw!!