DENSO DESIGN

Activities

[Business Trip Report]
A Day Off in Las Vegas
Valley of Fire State Park2024.04.17

Table of Contents:

Experiencing Americaʼs Great Outdoors

Ogawa: During a day off in the US, I visited Valley of Fire State Park. Spanning 40,000 acres (about 160 square kilometers), the park features large red sandstone formations created from sand dunes. Itʼs a popular spot for nature lovers, located about an hourʼs drive from Las Vegas. Itʼs more accessible than the Grand Canyon National Park and less crowded, making it a recommended destination.

Valley of Fire State Park

World-renowned for its 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops nestled in gray and tan limestone, Valley of Fire State Park contains ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years.

Valley of Fire State Park | State Parks (nv.gov)

Ogawa: I planned the trip and booked a tour the night before, but I confused the overall meeting time with the hotel pickup time. By the time I arrived at the pickup location, the bus had already left. After some deliberation, I decided to take an Uber to the park.

Yoshida: We were really grateful to our Uber driver, Rodney. Once we arrived at Valley of Fire State Park, we realized our phones had no signal, making it impossible to arrange a return Uber. Rodney kindly agreed to pick us up later. Without any means of contact, we set a meeting time for 1:00 PM, giving us about four hours to explore the park on foot.

Destination: Mouseʼs Tank

Ogawa: Normally, you would drive around the various spots in the park, but without a car, we decided to explore on foot. We bought a map from the visitor centerʼs shop and, estimating the walking time from the map scale, aimed to trek to Mouseʼs Tank, a canyon flanked by sandstone.

Yoshida: It took us about 30 minutes to walk to Mouseʼs Tank, leisurely taking photos along the way. We were the only ones walking in the park, which gave us a mix of anxiety and excitement. We did see a male model and a photographer taking pictures and a runner passing by, but other than that, only the occasional car drove by.

Various Discoveries

Yoshida: Mouseʼs Tank is a natural water basin formed by rain collecting in the rocks. Although sometimes dry, there was a bit of water when we visited, and some people were skipping stones in it. The round-trip trekking course is about 1 km.

Ogawa: The trail offered a variety of rock formations, from rugged reddish-brown rocks to organically eroded surfaces.

Yoshida: The visitor center also displayed different types of rocks found in the park. The terrain is composed of many different rock types.

Ogawa: Besides the rock shapes, we enjoyed spotting petroglyphs, ancient rock carvings left by indigenous people.

Yoshida: The petroglyphs date back about 4,000 years. We saw carvings of animals that resembled the ones we spotted during our trek, making it fun to imagine that the carvings depicted these animals.

Ogawa: Walking allowed us to notice subtle differences in rock colors, moss, and plants, and fully appreciate areas we might have otherwise overlooked.

Enjoying Freedom as You Wish

Ogawa: Unlike Japanese nature parks, Valley of Fire lacks guide signs and fences, which made it feel less artificial. We could climb hills and rest wherever we liked, which was very memorable.

Yoshida: The untouched nature was fantastic. There were no handrails obstructing the view, making it perfect for photography. The paths were not predetermined, allowing us to explore freely. Even dead-ends added to the adventure, letting us enjoy the park with a childlike sense of wonder. Some paths were quite steep, and we saw people shaking hands after successfully climbing them.

Yoshida: People we passed would bow slightly or greet us, similar to hiking in Japan. Also, I was impressed by how quickly Ogawa, an experienced climber, navigated the terrain without fear, even at high altitudes. He seemed to be in his element.

Encounters with Kind People

Ogawa: On our way back to the visitor center from Mouseʼs Tank, a security patrol saw us walking and kindly gave us a ride back to the visitor center.

Yoshida: We were very grateful as we were quite tired. It was my first time riding in a car with metal bars, haha. Rodney arrived on time to take us back to Las Vegas, as planned. We gave him a sticker and a thank-you note written using Google Translate, and he was very pleased. We later realized that the road was extremely congested. Rodney drove over an hour and a half just to keep his promise to us, which was very touching. Meeting such kind people made for a memorable trip.