Array of colors on display

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Valley of Fire State Park is justifiably famous for its signature fiery red sandstone. But Nevada's largest and oldest state park actually incorporates a multicolored landscape, and the rest of the spectrum is especially noticeable on a visit to its northernmost area.

The White Dome Loop trail is short and easy, only 1 1/4 miles, yet one of the best if you are looking for diversity. Along your way, you will walk through sand dunes, the remains of a movie set, a narrow slot canyon, and enjoy the sight of hundreds of sculpted sandstone formations in more fantastic shapes than one can readily imagine.

Children especially will like this hike, and except in a couple of short sections that have minor drop-offs, they can safely play to their hearts' content.

As you drive up to the trailhead, it won't be hard to figure out that you are at the correct place. The white domes are as obvious as giant scoops of ice cream on the colorful surrounding landscape.

The spectacular red and orange on every side are the result of trace iron minerals that have oxidized. The white domes' contrasting light color was created when groundwater leached out the rusted iron. On closer inspection, you will see that the domes are not completely colorless. Look toward the peaks and you will see muted hues of yellow, gold and purple, and the dome on the right has a 4-foot-wide ribbon of pink that runs almost horizontally across the formation.

From the trailhead, the route heads up the sandy trail between the two prominent domes. Notice the creamy tan color of the sand along this section.

As you hike this trail, you will notice many different colors of sand, from light coral all the way to a dark orange.

The first section is much like walking on a sandy beach, so it can be tiring, but after about five minutes, the terrain becomes more firm when you reach the top of a rocky slope. Here, the trail descends down a series of man-made and natural sandstone steps into a large, open and flat area.

Around this flat, you will find several sandstone block walls, obviously man-made, the remains of a movie set built in 1965 for the film "The Professionals." That action Western starred Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Jack Palance and Claudia Cardinale.

The park's unique landscape has been used for scenes in many other movies, including a few Westerns as early as the 1920s.

Some more recent and well-known films partially shot here include "The Electric Horseman," "Star Trek: Generations" and "The Good Son."

Valley of Fire still serves as the backdrop of about 50 commercial shoots yearly, but under today's leave-no-trace rules, you'll never find any evidence of the filming unless you happen to be in the park while it's going on.

From the movie set, pick up the trail that heads south. After about 20 yards, it drops into a drainage called Kaolin Wash. The official trail will go right, or west, but if you have time, there also is a nice canyon well worth visiting to the left.

Continuing right, in less than a minute or two you will reach the narrow slot canyon.

The walls of the narrows don't reach very high, perhaps 50 feet at most, but they do canopy much of the sky and it's a tight slot, so even young children will be able to reach out and touch both sides at the same time.

Once out of the narrows, the trail goes right and gains some elevation, but still isn't strenuous. When it reaches the next flat area, there are unusual sandstone formations in great variety, inspiring all ages to play in the holes, windows and overhangs.

This time of year, much of the park's native wildlife is in hibernation, but you might see a few white-tailed antelope ground squirrels, black-tailed jackrabbits, cottontails, or desert side-blotched lizards scurrying around in search of food.

As you continue, keep an eye out for some large open areas where it is not vegetated. This is especially noticeable on your left, where the terrain is very flat. Look closely at the ground here and you will see small round balls, mostly about 1 inch in diameter. Called "Indian marbles," these occur naturally when sandstone forms around some harder mineral.

Of course, if rain threatens, save this hike for another day. There is flash flood danger in the washes, canyons and along the White Domes Road.

Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.