Valley of Fire Scenic Byway
Overton, Clark County, Nevada. Scenic Byway.
Details
- Where
- 29450 Valley of Fire Highway, Overton, NV 29450. Directions
- When
- Valley of Fire State Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
- Getting there
- The seven-mile Valley of Fire Road runs west to east and intersects with the north-to-south White Domes Road, which is 5.5 miles one-way.
- Fees
- Day-use admission to Valley of Fire State Park is $10 for Nevada residents and $15 for out-of-state vehicles.
- Access
- Beginning August 3, 2026, the West Entrance at Valley of Fire State Park will be temporarily closed Monday through Thursday to allow for construction of a new entrance lane and additional fee booth.
- Walk-in or reserve
- Reservations are not required for day use of the park.
- Phone
- (702) 397-2088
- Website
- parks.nv.gov
- Managed by
- State Parks.
- Established
- 1935.
The Valley of Fire Scenic Byway takes travelers past geologic marvels like Arch Rock, Elephant Rock, and the Fire Canyon Overlook.
Notable Events
- 1912A rough road was built through this area as part of the Arrowhead Trail, connecting Salt Lake City with Los Angeles. parks.nv.gov
- 1920sAbout 8,500 acres of federal public domain, the original Valley of Fire tract, were given to the State of Nevada. parks.nv.gov
- 1920sThe name was coined by an AAA official traveling through the park at sunset, who purportedly said that the entire valley looked like it was on fire. parks.nv.gov
- 19318,760 acres were patented to the State as a State exchange grant. hmdb.org
- 1933A county road in an approximately parallel alignment of the Valley of Fire Road appears on official state highway maps as early as 1933, running from Crystal to connect to SR 12 near St. Thomas, bypassing north of the Valley of Fire. en.wikipedia.org
- 1933Civilian Conservation Corp companies initiated park development. hmdb.org
- 1934Valley of Fire is considered Nevada's first state park as it was dedicated prematurely on Easter Sunday. hmdb.org
- 1934Nevada's legislature established this and three other parks at Beaver Dam, Cathedral Gorge and Kershaw-Ryan. shpo.nv.gov
- 1935The park, situated on the old Arrowhead Trail, was designated Boulder Dam-Valley of Fire State Park. hmdb.org
- 1935The park received its legal designation from the Nevada State Legislature. parks.nv.gov
- 1941By 1941, SR 40 was moved to a new alignment that resembles the present-day Valley of Fire Road — an unimproved 23-mile roadway traversing the southern side of Valley of Fire State Park. en.wikipedia.org
- 1968The site was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. hmdb.org
- 1976In the state highway renumbering, the SR 40 designation was proposed for combination into a new State Route 169; the action was not carried out, leaving the road without a state route number. en.wikipedia.org
- 1995The 10.5-mile section of Valley of Fire Road between the west and east entrances of Valley of Fire State Park was designated a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995. en.wikipedia.org
People
- Thomas W. Miller, Led the move to establish Nevada's State Park System; first Park Commission Chairman (appointed 1935).
Sources
- parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire
- travelnevada.com/tours-cruises/valley-of-fire-scenic-byway
- travelnevada.com/silver-state-scenic-byways-sure-to-get-your-motor-runnin
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Fire_Road
- nsbfoundation.com/sb/valley-of-fire-road
- parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/valley-of-fire-history
- travelnevada.com/silver-state-scenic-byways-sure-to-get-your-motor-runnin
- hmdb.org/m.asp?m=3433
- hmdb.org/m.asp?m=3432
- shpo.nv.gov/nevadas-historical-markers/historical-markers/nevadas-first-state-park