Courtesy
Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 5:18 p.m.
Valley of Fire State Park will replace its small, outmoded visitor center with a 17,000 square-foot facility — a $33 million project — slated to wrap up in fall 2025.
The 40,000-acre park, located about 65 miles northeast of Las Vegas, is home to petrified trees, petroglyphs and distinct red sandstone formations that give it its name.
Like the current center, the new visitor center will have modernized exhibits on geology, ecology and the park’s history. It will also sport a bigger gift shop with more souvenirs, educational material and a 200-seat outdoor amphitheater for special events, programs and educational talks with rangers, according to Nevada State Parks.
With exhibits designed by Las Vegas-based firm LGA Architecture, the new visitor center’s hallways and exterior will mimic the park’s canyons. The parks division inked a $21 million contract with American Southwest Electric, an electric and civil contractor that holds multiyear contracts with the National Parks Service, for construction.
“I’m thrilled to have been involved in the design of our new visitor center from the very beginning, and I’m excited to finally share our ideas,” Park Supervisor Randy Denter said in a press release.
The original visitor center was built during the 60’s and renovated in the 80’s. According to Park Interpreter Kayla Wolfe, Valley of Fire State Park greeted 9,000 guests during its first year as a state park in 1934. Now, 90 years later, the park welcomes more than 750,000 per year.
“Many travelers come to see the petroglyphs made by Native Americans hundreds of years ago, evidence of the ways in which this landscape was valued and used by humans before motorists turned it into a tourist destination,” Wolfe said.
According to a press release, the new visitor center will add more restrooms and parking to accommodate the boom.
Funding for the $33 million project came from a variety of public and private sources, said Information Officer Tyler Kerver. $9.25 million came from Nevada’s conservation bond program, Conserve Nevada; $1.9 million came from a deferred maintenance fund; $14 million came from a one-shot appropriation from the Governor's Finance Office Budget Division; and $1 million came from American Rescue Plan funds. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust donated $7 million to the project.
“This is an amazing place that represents the beauty and mastery of Nevada’s landscape,” Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley Trustee, said. “I am excited to see this stunning resource reflected in a new visitor center that will educate people for years to come.”
[email protected] / 702-948-7836 / @musettasun
