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| Wave Wall and Gibraltar formation in Valley of Fire |
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| Fire Wave in Valley of Fire |
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| Tall Slot |
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| Top of sand dune at White Domes TH |
An oldie but goodie, this loop in Valley of Fire State Park that begins and ends at the White Domes Trailhead covers several geological attractions that people enjoy experiencing at the park. We drove the White Domes Road and parked near the end of the road at the White Domes Trailhead. Climbing the hill up past the restrooms and over the big sand dune, we found the steep downhill afterwards. The downhill has been constructed with sand covered rock steps. Be careful here. At the bottom of the hill, there is an old movie set for
The Professionals. Just past the set, we dropped into the Kaolin wash or slot canyon.
Kaolin, or China clay, is a soft, white, earthy industrial mineral primarily composed of the mineral kaolinite, a hydrous aluminum silicate formed through the chemical weathering of aluminum silicate minerals like feldspar, it is used in ceramics, paper coating, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and rubber production. ~AI Overview
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| Debbie entering Kaolin Wash |
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| Amora eyeing the Kaolin Wash |
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| Small slot in Kaolin Wash |
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Debbie with the camera at Fire Wave
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We turned left in the wash but, keep in mind, the actual White Domes Loop Trail turns to the right. Our left turn takes us through the beautiful pastel-colored small slots of the wash. There was minimal scrambling as we made our way over to where the small canyon crossed the White Domes Road. After the road, the wash continued on the other side with another beautiful slot. The colors in this area, right and left, are worth many photos so bring your camera ... especially in the morning as the sun is rising. Approximately 0.15 miles after crossing the road, the terrain on the left side turns to a darker red. The second cut into the red is a good place to turn up to your left and climb up to view the Fire Wave. There will be other hikers around. Many of them have come down the Fire Wave Trail from above right. This is a good place to sit and take a break, however, try not to sit in the way of other hikers that are trying to take their photos. We took a couple of photos and headed up towards the left. There is a huge white rock wall that has red "waves" on the "canvas." Next, we continued hiking toward the "Wave Wall" and down to the small wash at its base. Turning left in the wash and circling around to the left side of the rock, we turned to climb up to a view point on the left. Our route continued down the other side of the view point and back into the Kaolin Wash where we had been before. We turned to the right and found a shady spot for a break up on the left. (There aren't too many shady spots for sitting on this hike!)
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| Taking a Break |
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| Climbing up for a place in the Shade |
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| Scenery on the White Domes Loop Trail |
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| Kay and Amora on the Trail |
After the break, we returned to the movie set junction through the Kaolin Wash and continued straight to connect with the White Domes Trail. The tall slot is next. (Sometimes these slots have water in them if there has been rain recently.) Just after the slot, there is a trail junction where we turned to the right to continue following the trail. On this section of the White Domes Trail, we saw beautiful desert plants and the back side of the White Domes. Sometimes, there are bighorns up in the rocks but not today. The trail took us to a cut in the big rocks to the right and carried us up to the White Domes Trailhead to complete our hike. Gorgeous day!
Stats: 3 miles; 300' gain; 2.5 hours
P.S. For recent morning photos of Valley of Fire go to:
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