I'd been wanting to visit Valley of Fire for months, but we can get out on a six-hour trip in the summer, winter, and spring only. Summer would be too hot for us Arizonans trying to escape the high temperatures, and I've heard the springtime is really, uncomfortably windy there. So. Winter won and we found that it's quite possibly the best time to visit Valley of Fire. The daytime temps were in the mid-60s, and the nights went into the low 40s. What I forgot was that Nevada is on Pacific time so sunset was early at 4:30, but we kept a campfire going and enjoyed the evenings even if we had to come in for the night by 9 pm. That made waking up to awesome sunrises more enjoyable anyway.

We stayed at Atlatl Campground, which is first come/first served. When we arrived, we saw a lot of RVs and nearly lost hope, but there was one spot where we could park our 25ft trailer and it turned out to be one of the best campsites there. Site #8's tent pad, grill, table, and fire ring are behind a huge rock, so if privacy is what you're after this is the place! However, the site doesn't have hookups, so if you're looking for those you would have to be in the more open spaces. They aren't right on top of each other, but there isn't a lot of things blocking views of other RVs. We found the non-hookup sites were more desirable here in terms of camping ambiance. Besides, no hook-up sites were open so it wasn't a decision we had to make. :) We could hear generators occasionally, but for the most part this place was very, very quiet.

The hosts are friendly and keep the place neat and tidy. The restrooms and showers were clean, with flush toilets and hot water in the showers. The dump station was fine, and there is fresh water available to fill your tank. Also, each site has a water spigot, so that was handy! You can't easily fill your tank because the spigot doesn't have rings to connect a hose, but it's doable. We know this because we forgot to fill our tank before getting our spot. We were so worried about getting a space. Ha! It worked out.

The campground is surrounded by giant red rock formations, and there are some in the middle of it, too. It's perfect for kids and adults both to climb for hours and days. It's kind of like Joshua Tree, but the rocks are easier to climb on--closer together and the spaces between aren't as sketchy. Plus the rocks are soft sandstone so they don't scratch as much. It really is fun to explore all around the rocks and see the park from high vantage points.

It's the desert, so expect a lot of dust. What I hadn't expected was so much sand on the hiking trails. I find it difficult to trudge through soft sand, so although the park's popular hikes are short, expect them to be more of a challenge due to the sand. The awesome views make up for it, though. Bighorn sheep, awesome rock formations, slot canyons, so many different colors, and even ancient petroglyphs are pleasant distractions from the workout on the legs. Don't miss the Fire Wave, White Domes, and the hike to Mouse's Tank. Very cool.

Our T-Mobile service came and went with the wind all through the park.

Overall, Valley of Fire did not disappoint. We were busy and entertained and loving being there at this perfect time of year.