Valley of Fire State Park to Temporarily Close in December
If you’re planning a visit to the Las Vegas area during the first half of December and you’re thinking of making Valley of Fire State Park one of your stops, I have some unfortunate news - it’ll be temporarily closing during that time.
Valley of Fire, the oldest and most iconic park in the Nevada State Parks system’s portfolio, will close later this year for major construction projects and maintenance. It’s currently scheduled to close on December 2nd and reopen on the 16th. According to park staff, access will be restricted to all vehicles and pedestrians at both of the park’s entrances.
Per Kayla Wolfe, Park Interpreter for Valley of Fire, “the park’s infrastructure and resources have suffered as a result of increased visitation by those who love all that Valley of Fire has to offer, so we’re dedicating time to give Nevada’s oldest state park the care it desperately needs and deserves”.
Due to increased levels of visitation over the last several years, thanks in large part to the rise of social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, the current amenities, such as the Valley of Fire visitor center and restrooms, are simply no longer equipped to handle the rising crowds.
The only specified projects announced by park officials were improvements to campgrounds, restroom upgrades, and a new and improved visitor center. This likely means an expansion of the current visitor center, as building an entirely new one in less than two weeks just doesn’t seem feasible.
It’s unfortunate that the park will be closed during this period, as it’s one of the most visited parks in the state, but it’s definitely a necessity. During my visit last year, the Valley of Fire visitor center appeared underwhelming to me, as I felt that a park of this magnitude and significance deserved something far more grandiose than the current offering.
While it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the press release, I hope they’re also planning to make improvements to a few of the parking lots, such as the one at The Beehives. That one in particular is littered with sharp rocks and could stand to be paved or smoothed out, at minimum.
If you were planning to visit the park on one of those dates, this is definitely disappointing news. On the plus side, there are many other parks just a quick drive away from the Las Vegas Strip worth visiting. A few of those include:
Red Rock Canyon (tap to see my detailed guide of RRC)
While I regard Valley of Fire as the premier park in the area, personally, you also can’t go wrong with Spring Mountain Ranch and Red Rock Canyon. Each are different in contrast, but equally beautiful in their own right. At Red Rock Canyon, I recommend hiking the Calico Tanks trail. It offers a mix of gorgeous scenery and beginner level boulder hopping.
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