LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s most visited state park has opened a $30 million visitor center to accommodate the one million people who visit annually.
Valley of Fire State Park, located about an hour north of Las Vegas, has seen visitation grow by as much as 15 percent per year, overwhelming the previous visitor center built in 1967 for fewer than 200,000 annual visitors.
The park was established as Nevada’s first state park in 1935. A road built in 1912 first opened the area to motorists, and the name “Valley of Fire” was coined in the 1920s by an AAA official captivated by the fiery glow of the red sandstone.
Popular attractions draw international visitors
The park features attractions including the Fire Wave, a multicolored swirled rock formation, and petroglyphs carved at Atlatl Rock that show evidence of human life dating back thousands of years.
“People show up at the visitor center every day with their phones in their hand. I want to go to this one spot, showing me where to go,” said Randy Denter, park supervisor at Valley of Fire State Park.
“Any day of the week you could walk into the visitor center and hear multiple different languages,” Denter said.
The park is also home to one of the state’s healthiest bighorn sheep herds. “You’re pretty unlucky if you don’t see a bighorn,” Denter said.
New facility features modern amenities
The modern facility was paid for largely through private funding. It includes an amphitheater designed for ranger talks and an auditorium with an informational video narrated by William Shatner, who filmed Star Trek at the park.
Four new hiking trails lead from the parking lot, including one that is wheelchair accessible, allow everyone to get close to the park’s red rocks.
Limited opening schedule
While tourism to Las Vegas is down this year, visitation remains up at Valley of Fire. The new center is open to the public on a limited schedule as final exhibit installations are completed.
Guests are welcome Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours and days will be expanded as construction is completed.
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