The Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive offers visitors the chance to experience sweeping landscapes, numerous hiking trails, rocking climbing, and biking.
Just a few miles west of Las Vegas the scenic drive itself is a 13-mile one-way road through nearly 200,000 acres of natural artistry with paved parking at designated spots so visitors can park and enjoy the miles of wilderness trails that the national conservation area offers.
The Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive offers incredible beauty mixed across varied landscapes, add in the fact that the conservation area boasts 26 hiking trails and some of the best rock climbing in the Southwestern United States and you can see why it’s such a popular destination.
When it’s open to the public (darn COVID) the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center is a gem, offering up tons of information including history, geology and animal life present in the conservation area if that’s your thing. The merchandise and gifts help fund the upkeep for Red Rock Canyon so you can buy knowing that the money stays behind to help out as well. It’s tax free also so that’s always a plus.
Calico I & II, Sandstone Quarry
Our particular trip started at 2pm so we didn’t spend all day on the trails but we made stops at Calico I & II, Sandstone Quarry, Highpoint Overlook, Red Rock Wash Overlook, and Pine Creek Canyon.
Calico I & II have trails leading into the bright red Aztec Sandstone that dates back to the Jurassic Era (around 180-190 million years ago!). The Sandstone features are the fossilized cores from ancient sand dunes that once covered the area. The red color comes from the iron minerals that were in the cores that oxidized (“rust”) over the centuries.
Sandstone Quarry is the trailhead location for the Calico Tanks and Turtlehead Peak while the Overlook’s give great vistas of the conservation area.
Pine Creek Canyon
Pine Creek Canyon is one of the most popular stops and offers some of the best that the area has to offer with a beautiful and diverse plant communities (especially in spring!). These are huddled at the foot of the canyon walls.
What may be surprising is the small pine forest that runs along the mouth of the canyon. This forest is a remnant from the last Ice Age, but survives because of the cooler air and the water that flows down from the canyon.
It was without a doubt one of our favorite stops. It even offers what remains of the 1920s era homestead that once belonged to Horace and Glenda Wilson. The home was two stories with a fireplace and its where the Wilsons established an apple orchard. The Wilsons eventually sold the house after eight years, then stayed eight more as the home’s caretakers before moving to Las Vegas. The house is gone now, but the foundation remains.
Fees
Current fees are set at $15 per vehicle, and reservations are strongly suggested because of the current visitor limitations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. When we drove up there was a long line for people who did not reserve a time, but our interaction with the front gate was about 30 seconds in total thanks to a handy QR code that the park sends to you if you reserve your time and pay your fee online. Simple.
The trails vary in times and navigation difficulty so it’s always wise to consider the time of year and plan appropriately. Summer in Vegas is no joke, so always bring enough water and stick to the trails.
For more Las Vegas day trip options, feel free to read more from our posts.
