Beautiful red rock formations on a winter's night in the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. Exploring the desert after dark is one of my favorite things and the beautiful rocks at the park make for great compositions at night under the stars. On this night I was up exploring until 4 am in the morning getting some of those fun shots of the landscape under the night sky.

The strong red sandstone formations in the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada. The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, believed to be the remains of a huge 150,000 square mile desert which existed in this region from about 192 to 178 million years ago.

We found nighttime beauty at Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. The rock formations under the winter stars offer a unique view of the beauty in the park. We spent Christmas Eve, photographing the rocks and the stars until dawn on christmas morning. It was a very memorable event for Teig and I.

Islands of red rock formations can be found around the Valley of Fire. Teig and I love finding and exploring them in the evening when there are no tourists around. It also makes for fun landscape photography.

Beautiful light-aqua colored brittlebrush in the bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops found in the Valley of Fire. This Nevada state park is a most see when in the Las Vegas area.

Folks were hiking White Dome Loop in the Valley of Fire Park in southern Nevada. These kids were excited to see White Dome and were running down the sandstone formation leading their parents. I remember doing the same things when I was their age when my family visited national parks... I was always super excited. to tell the truth, I am still that way today.

A view looking into the Valley of Fire from the road outside of the park. it was a beautiful sky that morning when we left the area.

The beautiful red and white sandstone mixture in Valley of Fire Park in Nevada is awesome to witness in the golden hour. So many rock formations that wow the visitors. A desert landscape photographer's dream.

Teig was coming through a V-notch over a small pass in some gnarled rocks in the Valley of Fire. We were sauntering south of White Dome in an area which had only a couple of hikers. This area was one of our favorites because no one was around.

Teig and I came across this cool structure while hiking among the beautiful red rock formations in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. The deep colored red sanstone is so cool to explore in the park. This location is a must to explore when traveling through southern Nevada.

One of the main features in Valley of Fire is the road winding through the wonderful rock formations. This is the main road looking south into the heart of the park.

Teig was hanging out in a small cave as I was shooting landscape photographs in the backcountry of Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. I love how patient my boy can be as I am working.

Hiking in the red rock formations in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, we found this cool specimen of Desert Stingbrush growing through the cracks in the rocks. Some very interesting flora can be found in the deserts of the American West.

An early morning view into the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. A cool time to get a panorama of the park from it's south-west corner.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression ('make work' projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.

The beautiful red rock formations are surrounding us for as far as the eye can see.

We had a nice night of exploring the desert a couple of hours west of Las Vegas. The desert at night is so calm and serene with the critters coming out of hiding to do their business because of the difficult conditions of the hot daytime hours. The glow of Las Vegas can still be seen this far away at night.

Teig was enjoying the cool shade provided by the Aztec Sandstone while we were hiking in the Valley of Fire State Park.

I took this photo of Teig will we were exploring Valley of Fire State Park outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. This state park is gorgeous and if you get off trail you can finds some awesome serene locations. Teig was posing on a point when we were “lost” deep in the rocks.

Teig on a Sandstone outcrop in the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada. This park is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts... even pups.

Beautiful white rock formations leading to Aztec Sandstone in the Valley of Fire. These formations were exposed where older rocks of Cambrian age (about 500 million years old) were pushed sideways on a thrust fault over younger rocks (Jurassic, about 160 million years old) of the Aztec Sandstone. The sandstone was originally laid down in a colossal, long-lived sandy desert much like today's Sahara. Before the area was a dry desert, it was an inland sea. The red color is from the presence of iron oxides in the sand.

Beautiful white sandstone distinctly contrasts with the red aztec sandstone at Valley of Fire in southern Nevada. The rich colors and textures make for a tasty treat for my eyes.

Just a simple photo of a relaxed traildog on a ridge in the Valley of Fire.