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Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Probably the best kept secret in Las Vegas…receiving nearly 1.2 million visitors every year, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, set amidst the Mojave Desert, offers peace, tranquillity and splendour.
The Mojave Desert
Petrified sand dunes, frozen in time, offer you a unique perspective of nature as well as the effects of the passing of millions of years. The exhilaration of unexpected waterfalls, cascading into the canyons, will make any visitor appreciate the mysteries and hidden dangers of the Mojave. Red tailed hawks search for their next meal while drifting on air currents high above the desert floor.
About the Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, dating back 180 million years, is named for the 3,000-foot high, crimson, sandstone cliffs that can be viewed from a 13-mile paved loop. The canyon also has many significant geologic features with the most important aspect being the Keystone Thrust Fault. A thrust fault is a fracture in the earth's crust where one rock plate is thrust horizontally over another. About 65 million years ago, it is believed that two of the earth's crustal plates collided with such force that part of one plate was pushed up and over later sandstones. This thrust contact is clearly defined by the sharp contrast between the grey limestones and the red sandstones. The Keystone Thrust Fault extends from the Cottonwoood Fault (along the Pahrump Highway) 13 miles northward to the vicinity of La Madre Mountain, where more complex faulting obscures it.
Where To Take a Photograph
13-Mile Loop Drive offers sightseeing, vistas and overlooks. If your time is limited, stop at either of the Calico Vista points. Both offer good vantage points for photographs of crossed-bedded Aztec sandstone. For easy walking access to the sandstone, stop at the Sandstone Quarry parking lot. There you can see large blocks of stone and other historic evidence of the quarry activity as it occurred just after the turn of the century.
Lunch Alfresco
Picnic sites are available at Red Spring and Willow Spring. Additional pullouts, offering views of wooded canyons and desert washes, are located at Icebox Canyon, Pine Creek Canyon and Red Rock Wash.
Hiking Trails
Short Hikes
Several short hikes offering a variety of environments and landscapes are accessible from the loop drive. A short trail to the bottom of the canyon at the second Calico Vista leads down to the Aztec sandstone and, after seasonal rains, to small pools of water, which fill natural water catchments (potholes), creating habitats for small insects, insect larvae and fairy shrimp. There is easier hiking at Sandstone Quarry where many small canyons can be explored and at Lost Creek, a seasonal cascading waterfall awaits visitors, after a short, 0.3-mile hike.
More Maintained Hikes
Icebox Canyon has a sustained trail, which leads in for 0.8 miles with the end of the Canyon being reached in another half mile by "boulder hopping" on the canyon floor.
Popular Hikes
One of the most walked trails is into Pine Creek Canyon. A two-mile round trip hike leads to the ruins of a historic homestead near a running creek, surrounded by large ponderosa pine trees and other water-loving vegetation.
Further Information
Located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, half an hour’s drive, on Charleston Boulevard (also shown as Highway 159 on some maps). Admission is $5 per car. Stop by the visitor centre to find out the latest programs on offer. Bring plenty of water and a good set of hiking shoes to enjoy the day in comfort.
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