In all the years I've spent in my early twenties visiting the Las Vegas strip, I had never heard of Red Rock Canyon, until just recently! I've seriously been missing out on this hidden gem, like have I been living under a rock or something?! So don't miss this easy day trip on your next visit to Las Vegas, you should absolutely make an effort to check it out! This was part of our spring break trip and is very family friendly.
In this post, you'll find:
Where is it Located
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is part of the Nevada Mojave Desert. It's a geological wonderland notable for its red sandstone mountains scattered throughout the 13 mile scenic drive along with many viewpoints and trails. It is a short 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip and is a perfect half day or day trip you can easily make on your next visit.
Best Time to Visit
As a desert climate, it is best to visit in cooler months from April through May, September, and October when the temperatures are in the comfortable 60-70 degree range. Visiting during the winter is also great too, but expect it to be colder, which I often times prefer when you're doing hikes. From October through May, you must make a reservation online for a time slot to enter the park. There is an entry fee with the last entry into the park at 5pm [learn more here].
[Tip: When we arrived, I noticed there were two lines to enter the park: one for those who made reservations and one for if you have no reservations. So it seems like you can still purchase tickets upon your arrival but advanced reservation for a specific time slot does help you breeze through the lines. Also, have a screen shot of your tickets because there is no cell service available to pull it up. I panicked because I totally forgot to download the ticket like they tell you to in the confirmation email, but luckily they are able to look up your reservation based on your name, *phew*.]
Where to Stay
There is one campground available if you choose to camp [learn more here], but the Las Vegas strip is so close that you don't really have to worry about accommodation options being in vicinity of a travel mecca such as Vegas.
What to Do
You can easily spend a day here with all that they have to offer, from rock climbing, hiking trails, and vista points. You can do only the scenic drive, or you can even hit up a couple of the free spots without even entering the park! Read on, I'll tell you more!
Cruise the 13 Mile Scenic Drive
This beautiful drive takes you through the park, with stops for scenic outlooks and trails along the way. Note that it is a one lane one-way drive, so if you see something you want to check out, make sure you pull over and park in the designated area. The road is well paved and is a smooth ride throughout, allowing you to see the red, pink and dark-orangish colored rocks as well as variations in the terrain around you. Also, this road is not a loop, meaning there is an entry point and an exit; the road takes you out of the park with no way to re-enter except back through the main entrance. We actually didn't know this and found ourselves back out on the main road when we realized, "hey, we didn't get to see the visitor center!" so we actually went back to the entrance and asked if we could go see the visitor center. The ranger was kind enough to let us re-enter!
Calico Basin Trail
There are trails in this area as well as a picnic spot and a cute little boardwalk trail over a grass meadow. This area is actually free and you can access it without entering through the park. So, if you want to visit the Calico Basin and enter the park and scenic drive, make sure you time your entry appropriately so you don't miss your entry time. We ended up walking the boardwalk because we finished up with lunch later than expected and I didn't want to miss our timed entrance.
[Tip: Also free is the Red Rock Canyon Overlook which can be accessed on the main road outside of the park.]
Visitor Center
This is the first stop once you enter the park. But as I mentioned earlier, we didn't see this until the end. And to be honest, it was about 5pm and we kind of glimpsed through it quickly. There is a cool window that frames the Calico mountains beautifully, a preview of what you'll get to explore once you leave the visitor center. There's also a tortoise habitat that will allow you a chance to see the state reptile. Honestly, I didn't feel like we were missing much here after having seen the rest of the park first, so maybe it worked out perfectly for us!
Calico I
This is the next stop after the visitor center. It's called an observation deck/viewing point, but you can really get in there and explore! There are a few focal points perfectly set up for photo ops but if you veer right and hike downwards, there is a lot of fun rock scrambling that my boys really enjoyed. The red rock facade makes such a pretty backdrop for photos and we took tons here!
[Tip: If you want to stand out in your pictures, wear something bright colored or contrasts the red rocks, otherwise you'll just blend in with the scenery because the rocks are just so vibrant.]
Other Things to Do
Calico Tanks - A 2.2 mile out and back trail that is top rated for views of geological formations and of Las Vegas too.
Ice Box Canyon - A 2.3 mile out and back trail that entails a lot of rock scrambling and climbing to reach a seasonal waterfall.
Lost Creek - A 0.8 mile out and back trail perfect for children to discover and learn about the features of the Mojave Desert.
And lots more here!
Surrounding Area
You've got the Las Vegas strip just 30 minutes away, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead about 1 hour away, and Valley of Fire State Park at about 1.5 hours away. On the California side, Death Valley National Park is 1 hour and 45 minutes away. Red Rock Canyon was part of our spring break trip along with Las Vegas, Valley of Fire, and Death Valley.
I have to confess, I didn't get to explore it thoroughly as I would have liked, since we started our day early to drive the 3.5 hours into Las Vegas. So, that means I have to come back and dig deeper and do more hikes that I spent so much time researching about! What about you, did this peak your interest? I hope you get to visit Red Rock Canyon! Happy planning!
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