Red Rock Canyon

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Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, west of Las Vegas

If you want a break from the bright lights and noise of Las Vegas’s man-made wonders, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a few miles west of Las Vegas, showcases the wonders of nature.

The 195,819 acre area within the Mojave Desert offers hiking, recreation opportunities, beautiful scenery and a chance to explore the geology and vegetation of the desert.

Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon features a one-way, 13-mile scenic loop drive through the rock formations. You can stop along the way to take in the view, stretch your legs, walk a bit, and discover a few of the thousands of types of plants and wildlife that make their home here.

Red Rock Canyon

The sandstone cliffs are comprised of sand dunes which covered the southwestern United States in Jurassic times and have changed into sedimentary rock over the years. The red colour in some of the outcrops is due to the presence of iron or hematite.

Red Rock Canyon

In some places the rock is a light beige colour. Here, the iron may have been leached out by surface water or was never deposited in the first place.

There are 19 hiking trails, distances ranging from three-quarters of a mile to six miles, average times from one hour to four and a half, and difficulty levels from easy to strenuous.

 
Red Rock Canyon
 

There is a campground. Note that it offers no electrical, water, or sewer hook-up. Information about the geology, wildlife, and recreational facilities is available at the Visitor Center.

Have you visited Red Rock Canyon?

 
Red Rock Canyon

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7 Comments

  1. Hi Donna,
    Red Rock Canyon brings back some happy memories for me. Red Rock Canyon is one of my favorite places. Moody Blues, one of my favorite bands performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre with the Colorado Symphony back in ’92. It was spectacular! Thanks for writing on this.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill

  2. I am always looking for somewhere to escape to from Las Vegas. (Las Vegas gives me the heebie jeebies (to use a scientific term). I’ve already been to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Bryce Canyon is still on the list of places to visit from Las Vegas, but I like that this is so much closer that it can be a day trip and one can return to one’s hotel room in Hades at night.