Overview of Beehives at the Valley of Fire
The Beehives at Valley of Fire really do look like large beehives, you sort of expect large bees to swarm out them. (Okay, not really.)
They are a formation created by geologic cross-bedding, which means the layers were deposited over the years to form the formation you see today. The grooves in the “beehives” were formed when there was water or wind that moved the material as it was forming.
From Wikipedia:
In geology, cross-bedding is layering within a stratum and at an angle to the main bedding plane. The sedimentary structures which result are roughly horizontal units composed of inclined layers. The original depositional layering is tilted, such tilting not being the result of post-depositional deformation. Cross-beds or “sets” are the groups of inclined layers, which are known as cross strata.
Cross-bedding forms during deposition on the inclined surfaces of bedforms such as ripples and dunes; it indicates that the depositional environment contained a flowing medium (typically water or wind). Examples of these bedforms are ripples, dunes, anti-dunes, sand waves, hummocks, bars, and delta slopes. Environments in which water movement is fast enough and deep enough to develop large-scale bed forms fall into three natural groupings: rivers, tide-dominated coastal and marine settings.
Reference: Cross-bedding article on Wikipedia
Directions to Valley of Fire Beehives
Valley of Fire is located 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas, at an elevation of 1,320–3,009 feet.
It abuts the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the east at the Virgin River confluence.
It lies in a 4 x 6-mile basin.
Once you enter the Valley of Fire, the Beehives are located on the right across the road from Atlatl Rock and Atlatl Rock Campground.
The entrance for the Valley of Fire Group Campground is located down the gated road near the parking lot.
Other Information About Beehives at the Valley of Fire
There is limited parking and picnic tables available at the Beehives.
Photos of Beehives at the Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire Resources
- Valley of Fire State Park
- Valley of Fire Visitors Center
- Atlatl Rock at the Valley of Fire
- Lone Rock at the Valley of Fire
- Seven Sisters at the Valley of Fire
- Atlatl Rock Campground
- Valley of Fire Group Campground
- I am a hiking enthusiast and not an expert, the information shared here is from my personal experiences and research to share with others as a reference.
- All stats such as distances, elevations, elevation gains, ratings, and times are approximate based on mobile apps, GPS data, Google Earth, and other references compiled as a resource.