Hiking Near Las Vegas, Nevada
This story is part five of my January 2022 road trip to Las Vegas. Read about our others stops here:
Hiking Near Las Vegas
Charity had one last conference session Monday morning, and after my morning round of golf at Fox Hill Park, I decided to go see the mountains that were beckoning to me as I played.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Red Rock Canyon caught my eye on Google Maps. I knew nothing about it. As I mentioned before, I was completely ignorant as to the geography of Las Vegas. I thought it would be endless flat sand. I had no idea that there were hundreds of thousands of acres of beautiful mountain wilderness to explore.
I first followed my GPS to the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center only to discover that you are required to have a reservation for a specific time window in order to partake in the scenic drive or even to get access to the visitors center. They were turning cars around in the drive, creating a massive traffic jam of people trying to rejoin the high-speed, high-traffic Route 159.
A lot of people pulled off on the side of the road to take photos of the hills off on the horizon, but I was dying to get into the middle of them, not just take selfies from afar.
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The Calico Basin Trail offers incredible views that change radically the further you leave the trail and elevate.
Calico Basin Trail
After exploring the surrounding area on Google Maps, I spotted the Calico Basin Trail, which is open Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Warning, cell service is unlikely in the area - even in the parking lot.
I parked at the Red Spring Picnic Area but never entered the Red Spring Desert Oasis.
The Calico Basin Trail is 1.5 miles long total, .75 miles out and back with no loop. I didn’t really stick to the trail, however, and frequently scaled the hills and went up and over and behind the giant boulders to really explore the area.
Red Rock Canyon may not have been the most original name, but it’s certainly accurate.
Although you should be able to hike the Calico Basin Trail in about an hour, it’s easy to spend hours exploring the area. I spent about three hours and walked several miles.
If you’re not an experienced hiker but are planning a visit, I have to stress the importance of bringing substantial water. Far too often I see families setting out on hikes with a single water bottle apiece, or less. You’re not going to starve on a hike. You don’t need three sandwiches apiece and endless fruit and chips. Pack water. As much water as you can.
I personally recommend the ECEEN hydration backpack with a solar panel. I got this camelback in 2016 to use for playing Pokémon Go, and the solar charger is super helpful since your phone is your best hope for rescue if you’re injured or lost. Even with the full camelback, I can fit another handful of water bottles inside, plus granola, crackers, and some emergency tools.
What amazed me was the countless rock variations in the area. The first mountain right by the parking lot was very white in color, but once you get past that you reach the red rock for which the canyon is named.
The erosion has left beautiful, unique formations all over the place, and people have left some unique marks as well. I even discovered a portrait of a young Goku sketched into one rock, far above the beaten path.
Occassionally I found etchings made by artists who also left the beaten path at the Red Rock Canyon.
There were a lot of people hiking that day, and a handful of rock climbers as well. People of all ages walked the flat trail along the base of the hills. As the ground begins to slope up towards the end of Calico Basin Trail, elderly folks tended to turn back, but I saw families with young children and dogs continuing to brave the uneven and dramatic grounds.
There wasn’t a lot of wildlife in the area that I saw, though I never got more than a couple miles from the parking lot. Most of the beauty in those hills is in the rocks themselves and the views that stretch for miles.
I wish I could have spent more time in Red Rock Canyon, but I had to get back to the hotel in time to pick up Charity and hit the road. I’m still a fairly novice hiker, but I plan on getting to the point where I can spend days or weeks backpacking across the country - and Red Rock Canyon is definitely an area I’d love to spend a few nights.
