Date: December 29, 2011
Total Distance: 1.12 miles
Time to Completion: 55:00 (min:sec)
Elevation Gain: 253 feet
Configuration: Loop
Terrain: Dirt, rock
Difficult: Easy to Moderate
Hiking with Impunity took a brief sojourn to Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area in Nevada over the New Years weekend. Red Rock Canyon is located near Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert, and is almost 196,000 acres. Knowing that we only had a short amount of time to fit in a hike and that we needed a route that would be relatively easy to accomodate our lack of appropriate gear, we visited the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area website which had a very nice page on the different trails with their difficulty ratings.
Depending upon your skill level and intent, Red Rock can offer something for everyone. For people who don't like hiking, but would like to check out these natural wonders, there is a 13 mile scenic drive (please note: entrance requires payment of a $7 per car fee). Stay on the right of the road and take your time. There are quite a good number of stops along the drive that you can pull your car over and get out for a walk. After a brief stop at the Visitors' Center, where you can pick up a map of the vicinity and speak to the extremely helpful people at the information desk, we climbed into our car and made Calico I our first stop.
Scenic Drive through Red Rock CanyonI cannot stress enough how enjoyable it was to see parts of Red Rock in this way. Since our primary intent in visiting Las Vegas was not to hike (but rather to celebrate our friend's birthday - Happy Birthday, Ron!), we knew that we only had a short amount of time to spend in the canyon, and this drive really helped us see quite a bit of Red Rock has to offer (while also whetting our appetites for a good hike). Perhaps the one major downside to seeing Red Rock in this fashion (beyond the obvious fact that it's not hiking, and we are a hiking website!) were the inordinate amount of people who chose to speed through the scenic drive. While the main road is two-lanes, we found it hectic and annoying that so many cars were choosing to fly past us.
Outside of our first stop at Calico, we made another stop along the way, and I would certainly recommend making your first two stops Calico I and II. Eventually, we turned off the main road, and parked near the trailhead entrance for the Willow Springs Loop and Lost Creek. The small parking lot also has access to toilet facilities if you need them. The map of our loop below has us starting out with the Lost Creek trail. We had heard that you could see a waterfall at the end of this trail - what we found was little more than a dribble (which is why, we suppose, it was reported to be a "Seasonal" waterfall!).
The 'Seasonal' Waterfall at Red Rock Canyon
Being that we were visiting over the holiday weekend, there were a tremendous number of people on the trails. And, while any hiker with some degree of experience and the proper equipment may consider this to be an easy hike, the terrain and balance required at times could make this an easy to moderately difficult hike.
After reaching the waterfall area (which was — even without an active waterfall — an amazing site!), we double-backed and took the first left to continue along the Willow Springs loop, which eventually took us back to the parking lot.
Red Rock was truly an experience we'll never forget! If you live in the area, or are travelling to the area purposefully to hike here, our suggestion would be to visit their website, and pick your hikes based upon your skill level. Trust us, though — if you love the outdoors, you'll need to make Red Rock Canyon your first stop when visiting Las Vegas!
To see all of our photos from our time in Red Rock Canyon, please visit our gallery here .
About the Author
”Hiking” Mike Magro is the primary contributor and editor of Hiking with Impunity. Always on the look-out for a good hike, Mike is hoping to get through the rest of the year having minimal to no injuries while on the trail.
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