Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. It is 196,000 acres in size, and has more than 30 miles of hiking trails. You access the trailheads via a 13 mile, one-way, scenic drive. I was last in Las Vegas during the fall of 2008. Car rentals were cheap, so I grabbed a compact limo and headed out to Red Rock. The one-day entry fee was $5.00. This gets you a trail map and visitor guide, as well as entry into the visitor center. I spent the morning slowly covering the scenic drive, while taking photos, and stopping twice to hike trails. The early morning temperature at 6:30 a.m. was in the low 70’s, but by 11:00 a.m. the temp was in the high 80’s. This is the desert. It is hot and dry, and there is no water!!!! Make sure you take at least a gallon of water with you in the car if you are planning on a day hike. You can fill up your smaller water bottles from this larger container throughout the day. I drank nearly a half-gallon on this morning trip. Also, there are no food items available once you’re at Red Rock. Stock up before heading out of town. A little salty trail mix is not a bad thing on a hot day! There are many sites on the internet providing Red Rock trail information, as well as directions for driving from the Strip and wonderful photos. A good place to start is www.blm.gov/nv, or just Google and you will find! Red Rock is a welcome break from the craziness of the casinos and streets of Las Vegas. Try it … you’ll enjoy it.
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