Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area

General Information

All coordinates and/or mileages are approximate

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area:  (702) 515-5350

The Red Rock Canyon web site has excellent information and downloadable maps.  http://www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon/

Red Rock is located approximately 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Blvd (State Route 159).  Go west on Charleston and a short distance after you cross Town Center Drive and just before you cross over the 215 (Las Vegas Beltway) on your right you will see a Best Buy store, Burger King, Terrible Herbst Chevron Gas Station.  Behind all of this and barely visible is a Costco, (everyone needs a Costco) and to your left is the Red Rock Casino.  Continuing west on Charleston Blvd. for approximately another 5.25 miles, on your right you will see the entrance to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Click here for "Getting There Map"   or  Click here for Driving Directions with photographs

Park Hours:  The park is generally open from 6:00 am until dusk.  The visitor center is open from approximately 8:00 am to 4:30 pm depending on the time of the year.

Fees:  $5 per car load of people.  There is no charge to visit the Visitor Center.  I would highly recommend that you stop at the Visitor Center to talk to the ranger and pick up a map before driving the loop.

Vehicles:  The loop road is a 13-mile paved one-way only road.  Vehicles must stay on the designated roads and there is no off-roading allowed while on the scenic loop drive.  Click here for map of Red Rock Scenic Loop

Suggestion: The drive around the loop is nice, but this is the kind of place that you will want to get out of your car and enjoy some of what Red Rock has to offer.  Red Rock is an incredible place to walk, hike, explore, or if you are so inclined - rock climb. Allow time for these activities, you will not be disappointed.

Caution:  Come prepared with the proper foot wear, gear, water, and clothing.  It can be 100 degrees in mid-summer and there can also be snow on the ground in the winter.

Hikers / Trails:  Red Rock has a great trail system.  Make sure to either download a map or get one for free at the visitor center.  Hikers should try to stay on the established trails.  Click here for Red Rock Trails

Cultural:  The first people to visit the Red Rock found an area with naturally occurring springs, as well as rock water basins called tanks or Tinajas that would catch and hold water.  Along with water sources comes plants and wildlife.   These combined with naturally occurring rock shelters provide the three things needed to sustain life for at least part of the year.

An approximate (debatable by some) timeline of Native Americans in the Red Rock area is as follows:

• Southern Paiute 900AD to modern times

• Patayan Culture 900 AD to early historic 1800's

• Anasazi 1 AD to 1150 AD

• Pinto (Archaic) 3,500 BC to 1 AD

• San Dieguito 7,000 BC to 5,500 BC

• Paleo-Indians 11,000 BC to 8,000 BC

Red Rock Canyon contains both petroglyphs (carved into) and pictographs (painted on).  The first public petroglyph site is located a short distance after entering the park at the Calico Hills 2 Overlook.  The next is at the Willow Springs Picnic Area, which has both petroglyphs and pictographs (see photo at top of this page) and an agave roasting pit.

Directions to Rock Art in Red Rock Canyon

Wildlife:  Red Rock has an abundant amount of wildlife to see depending on your location and the time of day.  There is the obvious rabbit population, but the area still has desert bighorn sheep, bobcats, assorted snakes and lizards, tortoise, coyotes, kit fox, burros, and bats, all of which I have been lucky enough to see.  The area also is home to at least one mountain lion, unfortunately I have only seen the tracks of this critter.  Check out the "Critters and Stuff" page.

Geology:  Red rock as well as the Las Vegas valley started out about 600 million years ago as the bottom of an deep ocean basin with a rich variety of marine life.  From there, about 225 million years ago due to movement of the earths crust, the floor of the sea began to rise.  Swamps formed, and as some of the sediments evaporated and were exposed to the air, certain minerals oxidized resulting in the orange and red rocks that we see today.  About 180 million years ago the area was arid and the deserts formed.  Eventually these sands were covered with sediments that were compacted into sandstone which is locally know as Aztec Sandstone.  The last major event happened 65 million years ago and is known as the Keystone Thrust Fault.  Information on the fault can be obtained from the visitor center.

Weather:  Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area averages over 290 days of sunshine with an average annual rainfall of 4.31"

Average year around temperatures

How can you beat weather like that???

For photographs of Red Rock Canyon petroglyphs go to one of the below:

If you need to find me, send e-mail to: