Valley of Fire, Spring Mountain Ranch to use state park reservation system in 2023

By Taylor Lane Las Vegas Review-Journal

3 years ago

People soak in the view at the Valley of Fire State Park on Sunday in Overton, Nevada, Feb. 4, ... — People soak in the view at the Valley of Fire State Park on Sunday in Overton, Nevada, Feb. 4, 2018. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/File)

A visitor from Oregon studies a petroglyph panel at Valley of Fire State Park. (Natalie Burt)

An aerial view of the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, the first permanent, non-native settlement in the Las Vegas Valley located near downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 2, 2020. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Vegas88s

Red-naped Sapsuckers are regular winter visitors to the ash grove at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. A designated path winds through the protected area. (Natalie Burt)

A fossil on display at an event unveiling the new Ice Age Fossils State Park visitor center plans in Las Vegas, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. It’s the first new state park in Southern Nevada since 1996. The park has a rich concentration of Ice Age fossils, which is why it was home of the "Big Dig" scientific expedition in the 1960’s. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

(Deborah Wall) The lagoon at Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area in Nevada makes for a good swimming spot as it is set back from the strong current of the Colorado River.

Nevada state parks are planning to implement a reservation system that is expected to launch in spring 2023. This is an alternative to the parks’ current first-come, first-served system.

According to the Nevada State Parks website, the reservation system is still in the contract phase and does not have a scheduled launch date. Not all parks will be part of the reservation system at the first launch, and parks will be phased into the system over time.

This system is being implemented due to the parks’ “record number of visitors,” over the past several years, according to the website.

The 27 state parks collectively served 4 million visitors last year, according to data from the Nevada Division of State Parks. Valley of Fire saw over 760,000 visitors — the most visitors for any state park in Southern Nevada. Spring Mountain Ranch followed with over 300,000 guests. Along with Big Bend, Ice Age Fossils and Old Mormon Fort, Southern Nevada parks saw a total of 1.2 million visitors.

Camping in Nevada overall increased by 40% between 2020 and 2021, according to the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

“The reservation system will better manage visitation levels, allow visitors to plan their trip in advance, and reduce overcrowding,” the Nevada State Parks website states. “In this way, the system will improve the overall visitor experience while also enhancing the protection and preservation of the surrounding natural resources.”

Reservations will be offered at campsites and cabins, and as day-use reservations at certain parks, although those parks have not been specified at this time. There will also be event reservations for special events.

Currently, some cabins and group-use areas require reservations at some state parks, but these reservations are handled by each park individually.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tmflane on Twitter.