While it could be done in a day trip from Las Vegas, we made the Valley of Fire State Park our get-away spot on the way to the Grand Canyon and stayed two nights in the nearby town of Overton. Our stay included a visit to the Lost City Museum, with archeological exhibits, including relics from the Anasazi sites threatened by Hoover Dam.

Elephant Rock, just inside the East Entrance, is a symbol of the park. It takes some imagination.	The plant life was almost as fascinating as the magnificent rock formations.	While known for its red rock formations, the park has a wide range of colors, as illustrated in these two similar but different outcroppings.
Two more vistas, showing the variety of colors.		The White Domes site, which is the entrance to a steep hike, that includes a visit to a former movie set. Mary thought this formation at the entrance looked like the Man in the Moon.
The photogenic Arch Rock		Wildlife remained hidden for much of the visit, except for some hawks, ravens and swallows. This chuckwalla lizard was warming himself in the sun.	Clouds took unusual shapes, esp. to us from the Southeast.

Official web site of Valley of Fire State (Nevada) Park

Lost City Museum, Overton, NV