Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Las Vegas Nevada

 This is a beautiful area to visit and it is so close to Las Vegas.  From our timeshare on the strip, it was only a 34-minute drive.

We purchased our entrance ticket online which you must now do in advance or you can not enter the park.  It was a 22-dollar price tag to enter the Park and drive the 13-mile-long Scenic Drive.  It is a timed entry and you have a choice and we chose 9-10 am.  We decided to go to the Visitor Center and grab a map of the different trails.  The Visitor Center was one of the best laid-out Visitor Centers that we have ever visited.  There are exhibits of Earth, Wind, Air and Fire.
The views are beautiful

Numerous trails are available in Red Rock Canyon.  There are many that we want to return to and hike.



We used the washroom and decided to do the Calico Tank Trail before the Scenic Drive as it was only getting hotter outside.

The Calico Tank Trail states that it is 1.1 miles into the water tank but actually, it is closer to 2 miles.  It also states that it is a moderate trail and that is also inaccurate because it was a difficult trail requiring 4-point contacts at certain climbs.  The trail begins as easy and then quickly gets much harder as you begin to climb up the mountain.

There were numerous times to catch some shade provided by trees but mostly hiding behind large boulders.


The parking area is in an old rock quarry.

Leaving the parking lot area.

This is a popular trail and everyone we were talking to had the same thought that this trail is much longer and harder than stated.  However, it is a very pretty trail and we loved it.








When you are scrambling up the rocks it is hard to remember to turn around and look back because there are beautiful views of the canyon once you ascend to a certain height.




In several areas, there are very helpful rock stairs that are man-made.  In other areas, the rocks have naturally provided a stairway effect.  The rock is powdery and rough which provides great traction for your runners.


We continued on our way to the top and you know you have completed the trail because you see the water in the natural rock tank.  You can continue further to catch views over all of Las Vegas but a young man from Edmonton had gone and returned and he let us know that the views were extremely unclear so we stopped and rested for a while and eventually made our way down.





Water Tank in the background.

Calico Tank





Rock colour contrasts are quite extreme at Red Rock Canyon.

We returned to the car and proceeded to drive the 13-mile Scenic Trail and we spotted numerous hikes that we would love to walk.






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