Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

If you’re looking to squeeze in a bit of nature time on a trip to Las Vegas this is the place to go. Been only a 20 minutes drive from the Las Vegas Strip, Red Rock Canyon features a one-way 13-mile scenic drive, hiking and trails, plants and wildlife, geology, camping, cultural resources and much more.

The entry cost is 15$ per vehicle but you can also use your America The Beautiful Pass there. Depending how much time you have and what you’re planning to do I suggest you stop and the visitor center. I wanted to do a 10 km hike and depending on my level of expertise I was pointed in the right direction.

You do have to remember that this is a one-way scenic drive and you cannot turn back once you’ve passed a site. Parkings at the different sites can get full quite fast and showing up early will help you get a spot at the popular sites.

The most popular sites are right at the beginning of the drive. Calico I and II are where most people will stop and explore. This is where you can get a good view and walk through the red rocks that the park is known for. But even if you don’t want to hit a trail at those location you can get a great view of the site directly from the parking lot.

I enjoyed the park and what is really cool is the change in vegetation as you are walking the trails. I went from a desert landscape with prickly pear cacti to areas covered with pinyon-junipers. The rock colors and formations also changes depending on the trail you are on.

I hiked White Rock Hills Loop but they have plenty of trails for all levels to choose from. Here’s the link to the trails on their website that give you the length, time and difficulty levels for you to choose from : Red Rock Hiking.

Over all this is a great day trip you can do from Las Vegas if you want to get away from the busy strip and the bell sounds from the casino floor.

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