Just before the hills, a track leaves to the south and leads to some old gravel piles and scattered concrete relics after half a mile, a place that makes a perfect (if rather lonely) place to camp - in sight of the distant interstate but many miles from any settlement. Access from the west starts at I-15 exit 75, from where NV 169 ( Valley of Fire Road) crosses a vast desert plain for 7 miles then winds through a range of low, arid hills to the park entrance. The approach to Valley of Fire State Park from the north is along straight roads across the wide valley of the Muddy River, through Logandale then Overton, which is a small town but one that has all necessary facilities. The landscape is made more striking by the surrounding black hills of somber appearance. It is one of the most photogenic locations in the Southwest, especially at sunset when the rocks glow deep red and do indeed seem to be ablaze when seen from a distance. The drive to the area from the south ( state road NV 167) passes buckled, layered cliffs and desert basins, often quite colorful, and has occasional views over the blue waters of Lake Mead to the east, but the valley is the most unusual place in the area.
New Mexico has a Valley of Fires Recreation Area, containing a large expanse of black, twisted lava deposits set amongst barren land in the center of the state, but the similarly named park near Overton, 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas in Nevada offers a stark contrast - here, red is the dominant color, next to large expanses of contrasting pale yellow rock, both part of an undulating landscape of petrified dunes, strangely-shaped boulders and sheer sandstone cliffs set amongst an empty, very scenic region near the north end of Lake Mead.
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