Nevada, Natural History Photography Blog

Valley of Fire stock photos

This is my favorite image from the Valley of Fire. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet with not a speck of wind or noise. The moon was positioned just right to fit nicely into a small cleft in this 10′ natural sandstone arch. While the daytime temps were warm enough that I could wear shorts and t-shirt, once the sun went down I had my long pants, hat and two sweaters on. One of my cameras suddenly started sparking and then spontaneously blew apart when I first photographed this arch under glorious golden morning sunlight. I’m pretty sure it was because the poor sensor could not cope with the incredibly rich and saturated red and orange hues that this gem of an arch exudes when the sun warms it up. I don’t think Canon Professional Services will be covering that one. My remaining camera (coward) insisted that it only be subjected to this arch at night when the color and detail of the scene is more subdued, which is why I ended up with this image. I’m already looking forward to a return to the incredible Valley of Fire State Park when I pass by on my way to Page for a few days of desert landscape photography with some buddies in March!

Natural arch formed in sandstone frames the setting moon. Image ID: 26486   Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA

Do you like how I worked the word incredible into this blog post three times? No, make that four! Incredible! Oops, that’s five. Google loves that.

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Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

An arch within a cave! I’ve seen this interesting spot in Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park referred to as “Windstone Arch”, “Fire Cave”, and a few other names. Admittedly, it is more of a curiosity than a grand inspiring landscape view. While this miniature setting — only about 2.5′ high — is nearly underfoot and very close to a well-traveled road, nevertheless it took me a bit of time to find it. I imagine many people walk or drive right by it without realizing it is there. Its a bit of a squeeze to line up the camera for this view. The arrangement of those round holes reminds me of some of the desert scenes in Star Wars, like they are little cliff dwelling hive-holes from which small winged alien creatures might emerge:

Fire Arch or Windstone Arch, also known as Fire Cave, is a tiny cave with a miniature arch and a group of natural pocket holes. Many people walk by this cave without realizing it is there!. Image ID: 26475   Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA

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The Valley of Fire sure lived up to its name on this morning!

I was driving along the main road in Valley of Fire State Park at sunrise on Sunday, heading toward the White Domes area when I saw the top of a impressive sandstone wall receiving the first rays of morning light. The orange/red/yellow color was so intense it stopped me in my tracks. The moon was just setting over the top of the wall as well. I decided to forget about my original plan for a sunrise hike across the mesa and see what photos I could make of this wall. This sort-of self-portrait with my tripod was my favorite of the bunch. The colors on this wall were so saturated at sunrise that I had to desaturate them a fair bit just to keep my computer monitor from spontaneously bursting into flame.

Rising sun creates the photographers shadow on a sandstone wall. Image ID: 26474   Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA

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Photo of the Fire Wave in Valley of Fire State Park

I recently had a chance to see a sandstone formation often called “The Fire Wave“. My daughter and I hiked to this place at sunset, in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, an hour east of Las Vegas. This was a beautiful spot, not only for this special striated sandstone formation but for the white domes, colorful eroded washes and brilliant red mesas that surrounded us as we enjoyed the fading light and still, warm air.

The Fire Wave, a beautiful sandstone formation exhibiting dramatic striations, striped layers in the geologic historal record. Image ID: 26473   Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA

My guess is that the name “Fire Wave” was bestowed upon this relatively small formation due to its similarity to the more famous “Wave” in North Coyote Buttes Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness a few hours away in Arizona.

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