Our latest hikes are in the Valley of Fire and to the Yellow Knolls. Cathy and I recommend both as good 3 hour hikes with amazing scenery, colored rock formations, some elevation and some rock scrambling.
Valley of Fire – Fire Waves and Loop hike
This is my first time to the Valley of Fire Nevada State Park, and Cathy’s second. We drive south on I-15 from St George through the awesome Virgin River Canyon and then to the Park over some secondary highways. Being out of country, our entrance fee is $15. As soon as we enter the park, we see a herd of Desert Bighorn Sheep beside the road. We choose to do the Fire Waves hike starting at Parking Lot 3, and continue on the Loop cut through to the White Dome hike. Something to keep in mind. This route does not take you back to Parking Lot 3 but rather to Parking Lot 4. Some kind folks drive us over to our car in Parking Lot 3. First time Cathy and I have hitch-hiked in a long time.
The Fire Waves Trail is a spectaculer hike with waves of red, yellow and purple rock all sculpted by the wind and flash floods. Today, our trail is blocked in two places by standing water between shear rock walls, so we back track a bit and scramble up and over the rocks. We did a pretty good job for a couple of ‘oldsters’.
Yellow Knolls hike
This hike is on the north side of St George and even on a Saturday, we see only a few fellow hikers. The landscape is different with several thick layers of yellow sandstone and black lava. We hike up to and around the yellow knolls that have been carved by wind and water. We wonder about what shaped the unique multi-sided patterns in the rock.
