When I was planning my trip out West to visit Havasupai, I decided to head out a day early so I could spend a day at the Valley of Fire State Park. Valley of Fire is about an hour outside of Las Vegas. It is a part of the Mojave Desert and is Nevada’s oldest State Park. The name comes for the striking red sandstone throughout the park.

After picking up my rental car and enjoying an In-n-Out burger (not available in the Midwest) I started to second guess my decision to camp at the Valley of Fire. I was exhausted. I had been up since 3am that morning. Also, the current temp in Las Vegas was in the mid-90’s. After some back and forth with myself, I resolved to drive out there and make the call once I arrived.

As I pulled up to the entrance to the Valley of Fire, an older Hispanic gentleman came to the window to collect my fee. As I was paying, I asked about the campgrounds in the park. I didn’t have reservations because both campgrounds in the park are first come first serve. The man smiled and let me know there was plenty of space in the campgrounds. He followed up by recommending I stay at the second campground.

There must have been a puzzled look on my face as I said Thank you because he explained further. “There is something about that place that’s magical. Every time I stay there I can feel it.” It was at this point I got goosebumps. He was very convincing. He continued, “I don’t know if you believe in that sort of thing. Some people say they don’t feel it. But I think the magic finds you, you don’t find the magic.” As I thanked him for his suggestion, I knew I had to camp there, sight unseen.

The park is beautiful. Such a contrast from the busy landscape of Las Vegas. My plan was to set up camp, do a little exploring and then hike a few short trails in the morning before heading to the Havasupai trailhead. As I pulled into the Arches Campground at the Valley of Fire I could immediately see why someone would think it is magical. It had 10 or so camping sites and was surrounded on three sides by huge, red canyon walls.

As I sat my tent up I told myself, ‘Well, I’m either here for magic or murder.’ I nervously laughed to myself. I arrived too late to be able to purchase any wood to have a campfire, but I was pretty exhausted and would be going to sleep early anyway. I decided to walk around and explore the area as the sun was setting.

Upon my return to my campsite I saw a group of about 8 men in their 40’s-50’s had taken the two spots next to me. Since I was there alone and had no cell phone service, my anxiety went up a little. They were loud and drinking. I decided I’d not only sleep with my knife but also take along the big rock I used as a hammer for my tent stakes earlier.

I went ahead and made my dinner and did some reading as the sun was going down. After eating, I got my chair out so I could just lounge and enjoy all of the stars. The amount of stars in the sky was breathtaking. It didn’t take long before I was ready for bed though. Due to the time difference and the fact that I’m an early riser anyway, I was up at 4am. The moon had come over the canyon walls and lit the campground up. You didn’t even need a headlamp.

Being wide awake, I decided to go ahead and do my morning yoga and meditation. It was incredibly peaceful. The one thing that sticks out the most to me about the desert is how quiet it is. With my toes in the sand and the moon shining down, it was as close it could have been to magical. It was almost like I could feel the warmth of the moonlight.

Shortly after the sun came up I headed out to do some hiking. I had chosen a few short hikes to some of the more interesting parts of the park. First up was the Fire Wave. Because it was so early, I was the second person on the trail.

I also hiked the White Domes trail and up to see the petroglyphs on Atlatl Rock. The White Domes trail was beautiful. Such a contrast to the Fire Wave trail.

There were several more trails I wanted to hike but I knew I had to save some energy for my hike to Havasupai the next morning. As I was leaving the park the same gentleman was working the park entrance. He opened his window, smiled and said, “The magic found you didn’t it?” I said, I think it did. I left the Valley of Fire feeling inspired and at peace. I will definitely be back.