RED ROCK CANYON, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Towering Rocks, Hiking Trails, Ancient Rock Art in the Mojave Desert

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Just outside the bustling city of Las Vegas, Nevada, is Red Rock Canyon, a conservation area with monumental rocks, miles of hiking trails, and intriguing ancient rock art. A 13-mile one-way scenic drive, beginning at the Visitor Center near the park entrance, provides an overview of the many special features of the park and opportunities to take photographs.

One of many hiking trails at Red Rock Canyon.

On a Friday afternoon at the end of March, my husband Art and I visited Red Rock Canyon. I had paid the entrance fee in advance online and had my ticket handy as we arrived at the fee station. (A limited number of cars are permitted at each entry time to prevent crowding at the parking lots at the various viewpoints.) It was a beautiful day—partly cloudy and mild weather.  In summer, the temperature can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit!

Entrance to Visitor Center.

We stopped first at the Visitor Center, where we talked to a ranger who gave us a map and advice on places to go on short hikes. Along the back wall of the Visitor Center there appeared to be a giant mural of the rock formation that gives Red Rock Canyon its name, but as we got closer we realized that we were looking through a huge picture window and the scene was real. It was our preview of what we would see close-up on our scenic drive. 

View of Calico Hills from the Visitor Center.

Displayed along the window sill were baskets and other objects made by Native Americans from the area.

Native American figure on display at the Visitor Center.

The Visitor Center also has a place to buy snacks and drinks and a well-stocked gift shop. We had brought a picnic lunch. While we ate in the picnic area behind the Visitor Center we watched a pair of white-tailed antelope squirrels scurrying among the cactus and under the tables, foraging for dropped crumbs. Unlike most desert wildlife, the squirrels are active in the daytime, holding their tails over their backs like tiny umbrellas.

View from the first parking area on the Scenic Loop drive. Note tiny figures on the rock.

Our first stop on the scenic drive was the overlook of Calico Basin where massive red rocks rise up from a dry valley. It was only when we realized that the tiny dots along the path below and on the rock were people, that we understood the scale of the rock.

We looked for the tortoise at the parking area but didn't see it.

Both of us were reminded of our visit many years ago to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the giant red rock in the middle of the Australian desert. The geology of the two formations is different, but both are huge and both are red. The red color is the result of iron oxide (basically rust). Colors of other rocks in the park come from different combinations of minerals and geologic processes.

Our second stop was at the sandstone quarry. In the 19^th century, local settlers had quarried the stone for building.

Stone blocks in the old quarry.

Along the path to the quarry we passed a manzanita in bloom, with its clusters of small bell-shaped flowers. We had hoped to see more spring flowers, but we were a bit early in the season.

Manzanita blossoms.

We then continued on the scenic drive, past the Hight Point Overlook (at an elevation of 4771 feet) to the turn-off for the Petroglyph Trail. There we followed the short, but rocky path to the base of a large rock wall where dozens of drawings were chipped into the stone. 

Petroglyphs at the end of the Petroglyph Wall Trail.

While some drawings resemble animals (bighorn sheep in some cases) and others appear to be a kind of record keeping, no one knows for sure what the symbols mean. There are also handprints “painted” in red. The images were made by ancient Americans who lived in Red Rock Canyon more than 800 years ago.

Hand prints made with iron oxide.

After another short hike, we returned to the scenic drive and made out way to the end at the highway leading to Las Vegas, about a half-hour away. We had enjoyed a good taste of Red Rock Canyon in the few hours we spent there. Someday we’ll have to go back to take some of the longer hikes and see more.

View of the Calico Basin looking southeast.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area is operated by the Red Rock Canyon Conservancy. For more information about Red Rock Canyon and making a reservation to visit, go to the Red Rock Canyon website.

Red Rock Canyon formations are the result of millions of years of geologic action.