White Domes, Fire Wave, and Seven Wonders Loop, Valley of Fire State Park, Moapa Valley, Nevada
Mike and I were looking to do a hike that would hit many of the highlights of the Valley of Fire State Park and this hike seemed to fit that bill. We parked at the White Domes Trailhead. We started this hike heading north on the White Domes Loop so that we would hike it in a counterclockwise direction. In this part of the hike, we saw an arch and walked through a slot canyon (the tallest one of the hike). After going through the slot canyon, we could have turned left and headed back to the parking lot, making the hike a just a 1.1 mile loop. Instead, we went straight and turned left at the next intersection, onto the Seven Wonders Trail. We passed Crazy Hill and Thunderstorm Arch. We then hit P3 parking lot where we crossed the road and continued on the trail that would take us to Fire Wave. After a little over 0.5 miles we hit Fire Wave, which to be honest was a little underwhelming as so much of the rock for the duration of the hike was different colors and this feature didn’t feel very different. The trail then came down to a wash that we followed until it crossed the road. From here, we stayed in the wash that opened up at times, but also became a small slot canyon at others. Eventually, we hit the trail that would take us back to the White Domes Trailhead and turned right on that. Shortly after this turn there was a wall that had been constructed in 1965 that was used in a movie set. From here, there was a hill and some soft sand back to the trailhead. Overall, I enjoyed this hike and believe it provides some of the best views the Valley of Fire State Park has to offer. We did see quite a few people on this trail so if it’s solitude you are seeking, I’d probably pick a different hike.
Total Stats: 3.4 miles, 300 ft of elevation gain
