RED ROCK CANYON National Conservation Area
Park phone: 702-363-1921 Some of the best of Southwest Nature is in our backyard in Vegas! Just ten minutes from Sun City Summerlin, from the 215 Beltway, exit west on Charleston. Leave the shops and homes behind and follow the signs to Red Rock Canyon. First stop at the Visitor Center for an overview & great gift shop (8am-4:30pm Nov-March, 5:30pm April- Oct.).Then follow the 13-mile one way Scenic Drive – open 6am to 5pm (winter) and 8pm (April- Oct.) – stopping as you go at all the amazing vista points. Look for climbers up the red rock cliffs, burros near the roads but please don’t feed them, antelope ground squirrels, Joshua trees, and coyote.
The scenic drive winds by red rock splendor where climbers mesmerize the more timid of us!
Joshua trees and desert plants intrigue you, and the burros that graze roadside.
Vistas change with every bend in the 13-mile scenic drive. This can’t be Las Vegas?
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Wear sturdy shoes, carry plenty of water and sunscreen, and a picnic lunch for you will have wonderful things to see on trails like Calico Tanks (steep climb rewarded by magnificent valley views) or Icebox Canyon (narrow and cool in hotter weather).[/one_third_last]
Here is just one hike: the trail to Pine Creek Canyon starts through open desert[/one_half] [one_half_last]
As you get closer, a relic forest of Ponderosa pines appear along a creek, just like Lake Tahoe pines!
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Pine Creek Canyon dead ahead! You want to follow the right fork after you cross the meadow.[/one_third] [one_third]
At this gorgeous meadow, many people stop here to picnic at the site of an old homestead. But do keep going.
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Soon the flat trail heads into a switchback up the rocks on the right.[/one_third_last]
Happy hikers, the Kunishimas of LA, find themselves high above the desert in a half hour.[/one_third] [one_third]
As the canyon begins to narrow, Ponderosa pines close in around you. Close enough to Hug!
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The trail winds around rock and deadfalls as you climb upward.[/one_third_last]
Every 30 yards is a new spectacular sight.[/one_half] [one_half_last]
In May, pools of water attract birds, coyote, deer and ring-tailed cats.
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However, it will be dried up before the heat of July and August. Go in spring[/one_half] [one_half_last]
We did 6 miles roundtrip in about 5 hours, but the Canyon deserves a whole day! Enjoy!
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