The first weekend of April, I went to Vegas with my girls. Everything went great; it was one of the best trips I’ve had in a really long time… until my phone got stolen. I’m 95% sure my phone was stolen and not lost, cause I heard of two other groups who got their phones stolen on the same night, from the same club. Anyways, I don’t want to dwell on that. I’ve accepted it and moved on.
I’ve been wanting to try hiking out in the dessert for awhile now and I was told about Red Rock Canyon. It’s only 30 minutes away from the strip in Las Vegas and has nineteen trails, many of which are short. I was in such a bad mood from getting my phone stolen that I was even more eager to get out into nature. Hiking isn’t my escape, it’s not my sanctuary by any means, but it is something I really enjoy that allows me to clear my mind. There’s something about it that’s therapeutic for me; there’s always a million plus one thoughts running through my mind, but when I’m trekking through nature, my mind is peaceful… calm… empty.
On Sunday [4.5.15], I finally made it to Red Rock Canyon just before we headed back home. The visitor center has a tortoise display out in the back but we only got to see one. They go in their dugout holes and blend so well with the background! Anyways, there’s supposed to be a short 15 min loop to an overlook (Moenkopi trail) with views of limestone along the way starting from the visitor center, but we opt for the second short hike with views of the red rocks and Aztec sandstone (there’s a map of all the hiking trails on www.redrockcanyonlv.org).
We started from the visitor center and hiked to Calico I. Since it was a long drive back home, we didn’t want to do a long hike, just something small to check out the scenery and explore a bit. Since I didn’t have my phone, I was unable to track the hike. The trail starts just pass the picnic area and the whole trail was roughly 4 miles round trip and took us maybe 2 hrs including exploring time… very easy… more like a nature walk. We only got as far as the first parking lot for Calico Hills I and spent some time exploring there, but I heard it gets more fun if you keep going… so I’m looking forward tot trying that next time. It was also ridiculously windy that day… which you’ll see from some photos, but the view was amazing.
Be prepared for a lot of selfie-stick selfies and different variations of the same view:
Visitor Center & Tortoise/ Outside Exhibit
Getting started
Calico Hills I Exploring
Heading back…
p.s. It costs money (I think $7) to park here. & There is also a scenic drive you can take through the entire canyon, but of course it’s funner to hike it.
How long was it to hike the trail at Red Rock Canyon? Seems like a place to visit when I do go to Vegas. Something different from the usual spots on the Strip. Would it be a whole or a half day excursion? Have you tried the trails in the Grand Canyon? 👍