Valley of Fire State Park – Dog Friendly
January 2023
What’s the first thing that you think of when hearing about Nevada? Probably not beautiful nature. Valley of Fire State park is only three and a half hours away from Southern California and is a gem in the middle of the desert! This park is something that you’d see in a crowded national park in Utah but without the crowds and a lot closer. Let’s dive into some of the highlights of our trip.
It’s Dog Friendly!
Finding dog friendly camping can be pretty tough sometimes. We had a blast bringing along our German Shepherd Leia for her first major trip with us. Every hike that we did in this park was dog friendly and she had the time of her life. We didn’t run into many dogs while we were here so it wasn’t a problem. Make sure you bring a lot of water for your pup! The weather is unpredictable here so you want to be prepared for anything. I think she ended up drinking more water than we did.
Mouse Tank Road
Mouse Tank Road is one of the most picturesque spots in the park. It truly looks like a real life Cars movie. This road is full of vibrant orange rocks under the bluest sky. My recommendation for this spot is to get here early in the morning to beat the crowds.
Wildlife
We were lucky enough to catch a herd of big horned sheep on Fire Canyon Road. They were beautiful. They didn’t seem to be too afraid of people but obviously I still recommend keeping a safe distance from them.
We weren’t the only ones excited about the Sheep. Leia’s natural instincts were kicking in.
Fire Wave and Pastel Canyon
The Fire Wave hike is right off the main road. We were able to do this with our German Shepherd no problem, she had a blast. The hike itself is 1.5 miles out and back and if you continue hiking Pastel Canyon is a 1.8 mile loop.
If you’re feeling crazy, you can do all of these in one hike by following the trail on AllTrails. It starts off at Fire Wave, brings you around to the Seven Wonders, and then ends with the White Domes Loop. I’ll include the AllTrails link below:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/nevada/fire-wave-white-domes-seven-wonders-loop
Arch Rock Campground
By far this was the coolest campsite we have lucked out on so far. It felt like we teleported to a different world! The campsites are very spaced out so you will have your own privacy. They are also equipped with a covered table and a fire pit/bbq.
The weather was completely sunny the first day we got there, but when we woke up it was snowing! So as I mentioned before, be prepared for anything. We ended up making the most out of the snow and were able to explore the park with even less of a crowd.
If you’re looking for a great weekend trip, we highly recommend checking this place out! Leave a comment on our site if you end up making a trip out there, we’d love to hear about it! Can’t wait to show you our next destination! Until then check out some of our most recent posts: