Located just outside Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon is a great place to burn off those buffet calories.
Red Rock Canyon is only 15 mi west of the Las Vegas strip, but seems a world away. Suburbs turn back into the Mojave Desert nearby. Here one finds really cool sandstone formations, mountains and even plants and wildlife. This isn’t a barren desert.
I happened to visit with my family in early July. Definitely not the best time of the year to visit. It was over 100 degrees by afternoon. I didn’t do any hiking, for it was way too hot even for me. This is what we found on our short visit to Red Rock Canyon.
Red Rock Canyon is full of interesting sandstone formations, from red on the bottom to lighter tan on the top.
Even with the intense heat, it was gorgeous.
There were quite a few trails at the park. Here is my brother exploring further ahead.
The canyon was once used for a sandstone quarry for building nearby Las Vegas and possibly beyond. It was an important railroad stop on the way to California. Some of the blocks were just left here when they shut down.
A little greener here. This flat area between hills will catch water runoff whenever it rains, causing more plants to grow here.
Just a beautiful landscape.
Another valley full of green.
Native peoples left a bunch of petroglyphs in this area. A very interesting find. #archaeologynerd
They also left a pictograph. It’s amazing that it has survived this long. Luckily it is located under a rock overhang.
Red Rock Canyon also has some interesting plant life. This is a Joshua Tree. There is even an entire National Park in California dedicated to these trees, appropriately called Joshua Tree National Park.
I have no idea what this is, but I like it. Some type of Yucca maybe.
Gorgeous mountains on a toasty day in the Mojave Desert.
Red Rock Canyon is a great place to immerse yourself in nature during the day while staying in Las Vegas. Beware, however, it gets very hot here during the summer.
Check out my next update where I explore Las Vegas.
or
Check out my return (and less hot) visit to Red Rock Canyon!
