Red Rock Canyon State Park in California. Red Rock Canyon - an amazing place near Las Vegas Red Rock Canyon entrance fee

Red Rock Canyon (Nevada, USA) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.

Tours for the New Year Worldwide
Last minute tours Worldwide

Previous photo Next photo

The natural wonder called Red Rock Canyon is located just 27 km from the man-made wonder - the magnificent Las Vegas. But unlike the glittering rainbow of the US gambling capital, this small reserve in the southern Sierra Nevada has only one color - bright red. It is this color that is used to paint the rocks cut into bizarre shapes by the wind, soaring into the cloudless blue sky. These Martian-like landscapes attract more than a million tourists every year. However, after wet winters, the cracked soil of Red Rock Canyon is covered with a bright green carpet. The beauty of the desert, coupled with geological and archaeological sites, make the park a center of attraction for campers and Nevada visitors tired of the noise of Vegas. And here are the remains of ancient petroglyphs - in such extreme conditions the life of the Koso Indian tribe once flourished.

What to see

Red Rock Canyon is part of the Mojave Desert, stretching between California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Its sandstone rocks got their bright red color due to iron oxide, which began to actively form after the ocean left these places. Yes, on the site of this desert territory there was once a sea.

The main feature of the reserve is a 20-kilometer tourist road. Driving along it, visitors get acquainted with the geological history and splendor of the canyon. It is along this path that the most Instagrammable spots are found, including the famous Calico Hills, Indian limestone braziers, handprints and pictographs. Another must-see site is the Keystone Thrust. Here, 70 million years ago, two lithospheric plates collided with each other with such force that one of them literally climbed onto the other. The result was a two-layer “pie” of gray limestone and red sandstone.

As a bonus, you can see wild animals - permanent inhabitants of the park. The preserve is home to more than 200 species of mammals, including donkeys, rabbits, coyotes, mustangs, bobcats and cougars. And the most characteristic plants: Joshua tree, cacti, banana yucca, juniper, Ponderosa pine.

Despite the apparent wildness, gazebos with equipped picnic areas and toilets are scattered throughout the park; Observation platforms are marked with special signs.

In addition to the endless jagged rocks, the exhibition at the visitor center is also worth a visit. The exhibition area is divided into 4 sectors, symbolizing Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each contains artifacts that tell the story of all aspects of Red Rock Canyon: history, geography, plant and animal life. And, of course, about people (man appeared here 10 thousand years ago). Also in the center you can get maps with tourist routes - there are 19 of them in total. There is a souvenir shop that sells walking poles, souvenirs, soft toys and park paraphernalia.

Practical information

Address: Nevada, Las Vegas, Scenic Loop Drive, 1000. Website (in English).

Admission to the park is free for hikers and cyclists. Entry for vehicles: car - 15 USD, motorcycle - 10 USD, bicycle - 5 USD. From September to May there is a campsite in the park. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

There are many remarkable places on our planet. The mountains are of particular interest. And if the mountains are colorful, then interest grows exponentially. These are the colored mountains that exist in the western part of the United States of America in the Mojave Desert. On the eastern side of the Mountain Springs mountain range, in southern Nevada near the California border, lies the famous Red Rock Canyon. The name of this place translated means Canyon of the Red Mountains. It is part of the National Park of the same name, covering an area of 792.45 km 2 (195,819 acres). 10 kilometers east of Red Rock Canyon is the outskirts of the legendary casino city of Las Vegas. In good clear weather, the Red Mountains can be seen from the Las Vegas Strip.

Red Rock Canyon on the map

Geographic coordinates 36.158077, -115.433523
Distance from the US capital Washington is approximately 3400 km
The nearest McCarran International Airport (located in the southern part of Las Vegas) is about 26 km

From the name of the canyon it is quite clear that the predominant color in the mountains is red. Unusual color combinations of mountain slopes always arouse the genuine interest of numerous visitors. And there is a lot to see in Red Rock Canyon. It’s no wonder that about 2 million tourists come here every year. Here you can observe amazing colors of red, orange, yellow and brown. Since 1968, this area has been declared a National Park of the same name.

The national park begins here

A bit of geology

The cliffs and cliffs have been formed in these places for millions of years.
During the Paleozoic era, about 600 million years ago, the area of modern Red Rock Canyon was covered by ocean. Year after year, limestone was deposited at the bottom. Over 350 million years, its thickness was about 3000 meters. In the Mesozoic era (about 250 million years ago), as a result of tectonic movements, the earth’s crust in this place began to rise, and more gypsum, salt deposits and iron compounds began to form at the bottom. As the earth's surface rose, iron oxides were cemented with calcium carbonate, creating the same bizarre landscapes that can be seen today. Much of the canyon is made of sandstone called Aztec.

The red color of some areas of Aztec sandstone is due to the presence of iron oxide or hematite. Exposure to the environment caused the iron minerals to oxidize, or “rust,” resulting in the formation of red, orange, and brown rocks. Areas where the rock may be colored are where iron has been leached by subsurface water or where iron oxide has never precipitated. The red spots in the Aztec sandstone are iron inclusions where water deposited iron oxide around a core in the sandstone. These areas are more resistant to erosion than the surrounding sandstone, which is why small balls form here.

Red Rock Canyon today

The conservation area features a number of large red rock formations, many sandstone peaks and sheer cliffs called "Keystone Thrusts". They seem to cling to each other, forming walls up to 910 m high, making them a popular place for hiking and rock climbing. The highest point in this area is Mount La Madre with a height of 2485 meters.

The main ring one-way road, approximately 21 kilometers long, provides direct access by car to many significant sites in the area. The Visitor Information Center is located at the beginning of it. The bike path is also very popular for walking. In addition, there are many walking routes. In total, there are 26 routes in the Red Rock Canyon, varying in difficulty and length. The length of these paths varies from 240 meters (the easy Petroglyph Wall Trail to petroglyphs) to 22.5 kilometers (the difficult Bridge Mountain route). Below is a diagram of these routes.

For a long time, the Kawaiisu Indians lived in these places, leaving petroglyphs on the rocks of the canyon for their descendants.

Climate and nature

There are quite large temperature differences in Red Rock Canyon. In winter it can drop to -18 o C, and in summer it can rise to +45 o C. The amount of precipitation varies from 2 mm in June to 56 mm in February. But the total precipitation level usually does not exceed 300 mm per year.

Despite the fact that the canyon is located in the desert, it cannot be called uninhabited. About 600 species of plants grow here, including coleogine, juniper, Yucca brevifolia (better known as the Joshua tree), Yucca schidigera (also called the “Spanish dagger”), and agave, which can be twice the height of a person. You can see the pine trees so familiar to us.

The living creatures are also varied. Wild donkeys, gophers, rabbits and mice live in the surrounding area. Desert bighorn sheep can sometimes be spotted, and during the rare spring and summer rains, tiny red-throated toads can be seen in small bodies of water. The territory of the National Park is a protected habitat for the desert tortoise. One of the males of this species, named Mojave Max, is even the symbol of the Desert Conservation Program.

Now, along with Arizona Wave and Antelope Canyon, Red Rock Canyon is one of the most interesting colorful natural attractions in the United States.

Schedule

The visitor center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The time to visit the park depends on the season.
November - February - from 6:00 to 17:00
March - from 6:00 to 19:00
from April to September - from 6:00 to 20:00
from October to 6:00 to 19:00

Red Rock Canyon photo

After spending two days and one night in , we headed towards Las Vegas, but decided to save a little money and spend the night at a campsite, a little before reaching Sin City. And, as it turned out, it was not in vain! We spent the night and morning of the next day in the Red Rock Canyon national conservation area.

There is only one campsite in Red Rock Canyon and it is located a little further from the entrance to the reserve. We arrived there just in the evening, so the sun soon set and a super-comfortable temperature arrived, when you can calmly sit in a T-shirt, looking at the sky, which gradually turns from blue to black with a scattering of stars. By the way, it was there, in the desert, that I saw shooting stars several times. But I didn’t have time to make a wish - it happens too quickly and unexpectedly!

After sunset, the lights of Las Vegas will come on behind that mountain.

A huge plus of camping in Red Rock Canyon, in addition to the warm air at night, was the complete absence of mosquitoes! To be honest, they don't exist in California either, so I keep forgetting to mention it. I remember our student hikes - as soon as the sun went down, bloodsuckers immediately began to attack you, and at night they were constantly buzzing under your ear. And here it’s warm, good, and no one bites. I would come there again for a week somewhere in the spring or autumn. It turns out to be a very economical option - to spend the night at a campsite and go sightseeing during the day, because there are so many interesting things around: Las Vegas, the same Red Rock Canyon, Sloan Canyon, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, and the Grand Canyon is very close.

In the morning, Sierra got me up before dawn, so she and I had time to see how the sun paints the mountains and desert orange

The campground is located some distance from the entrance to the Red Rock Canyon Preserve. You can go there at any time of the day or night, but you need to pay within 30 minutes after taking a place (the owner of the campsite rides on a golf cart and checks). To pay, you need to take an envelope at the entrance, fill out your information (name, campsite number, car number and number of nights) and place the envelope with money or a check in a special box.

At the entrance to Red Rock

General information about camping in Red Rock Canyon

72 camping sites (of which 5 are for campers)
The campsite is closed for the summer from the end of May (Memorial day) to the beginning of September (Labor day)
There are drinking water pumps
Picnic tables
Special places for fire
Sun canopies
There are places for caravans/campers, but there is nothing to connect them to
There is no drainage station for campers
Toilet without flush
No soul

Individual places

You can stay for no more than 14 days within a month, so as to give others the opportunity
No more than 10 people per seat
No more than 2 cars per place
Usually 2 tents can be placed in one place
Price $15/night per place

Group places

Total 7 places for groups
10-15 people per seat
No more than 8 cars per place
Usually 12 tents can be placed per site
Price $40/night per place
Camping is not allowed during the day only, at least 10 people must stay overnight
You must register upon arrival

Amazing colors and textures

What to do in Red Rock Canyon?

Drive a car/motorcycle/bicycle along Red rock canyon scenic drive. This is one of the most popular and easiest ways to view beauty. The Scenic drive is a 13 mile (21 km) loop that can be driven at 35 mph (56 km/h), with some sections much slower. There are many small parking areas along the road where you can stop and take photos.
Take a walk/hike. Red Rock Canyon has more than 20 trails of varying difficulty and length.
Find petroglyphs left on the red rocks by the Indians
Admire the local flora (Joshua tree, yucca and some shrubs, unique for their root systems that extend 100 meters or more into the dry desert soil) and fauna (terrestrial turtles, rabbits, squirrels, wild donkeys, wild mountain sheep)
Ride a horse
Climb another rock. The canyon is very popular among rock climbers; for them it’s simply a paradise.
Wander around the information center, where you can learn the history of the canyon and see what animals live there

So we enjoyed touching and looking at everything that was on display in the information center. There I read about a large black wasp with orange wings that we saw many times in Peru. This wasp (also called “Pepsis” or “Tarantula Hawk”) reaches 5 cm in length, so when it flies past, it seems like a helicopter. Even a little uneasy. But you shouldn’t be afraid of them, because they don’t attack people unless provoked. But if such a wasp stings, the pain will be terrible. Fortunately, it only lasts about 3 minutes and does not threaten complications.

A wasp that easily wins a fight with a tarantula spider

But tarantula spiders are less fortunate - it is they that the female Tarantula hawk hunts. She knows how to lure a spider out of its hole by pulling a thread of the web or imitating a female spider, and then easily defeats it in a fight. By sticking its sting into an unprotected place of this huge spider, the wasp paralyzes it, drags it into a hole or buries it in a hole, where it leaves it, having previously laid its egg in its stomach. After this, the wasp larva feeds on the tissues of the tarantula for another month, which remains alive but paralyzed. In Peru, we saw a couple of times how such a wasp was dragging a half-dead tarantula somewhere.

My young rangers :)

Beyond the visitor center, we drove along Scenic Drive and headed towards Las Vegas. So, if you don’t have a goal to see everything, go hiking or climb a rock, then a couple of hours is enough to explore the entire reserve, but I would gladly return there again, just to get to know it better. In general, I liked the state of Nevada even more this time - there are so many natural beauties there that it’s impossible to catch it all at once. I’m writing this article and already thinking - “wouldn’t it be nice to go there for a couple of weeks...” :).

The rock is really red! This is especially surprising in the middle of the gray-beige desert. And for scale you can see how small people are.

Like some fangs are sticking out!

Safety regulations

I didn’t know this myself, but it turns out that in Red Rock Canyon every year rescuers have to rescue someone with helicopters, search parties and medical assistance. And not just one or two people, but more than 100! Apparently, not everyone believes that this part of the Mojave Desert experiences extreme heat in the summer and below-freezing cold in the winter, as well as strong winds, thunderstorms and lightning. So, just in case, I’ll write here about the safety rules.

Let your friends or acquaintances know where you are going and when you should return
Don't count on mobile communications - there may not be any here at all
Do not leave valuables (bags, passports, cameras) in the car, so as not to tempt bad people
When hiking, be careful as there may be spiders or rattlesnakes hiding under rocks.
Drink plenty of fluids (4 liters per day) and have the same amount in the car per person per day. In the reserve, water is only available at the visitor center
Be aware of high temperatures! In summer, limit yourself to short hikes, spend as little time in the sun as possible, and drink enough water.
Choose comfortable (and not new) shoes, long sleeves and pants
Don't forget to apply sunscreen
When it rains, avoid the canyon bottom.
In summer, thunderstorms often occur in the afternoon. To avoid being struck by lightning, avoid high points and hide in a building or car with the windows closed.
Be careful with high cliffs where you really want to take a beautiful photo - it’s easy to slip on the sand or small pebbles. And you shouldn’t throw cobblestones from the cliff at all - the same hikers may be walking below

The sun was very bright in the morning, so it’s better to take photos in the afternoon

And here the red mountains suddenly turn white! It’s as if someone painted them with a huge brush!

Entrance fee to Red Rock Canyon

One day ticket – $7
Annual pass, valid only for this park - $30
Free with an annual US National Parks Pass. Let me remind you that an annual pass to US national parks costs $80 and is also valid in national reserves and national monuments

It is better to go to the Red Rock Canyon Nature Reserve in spring or autumn (), although at other times you can get acquainted with this beautiful place.

Las Vegas is known not only for gambling, dubious weddings and, as you already know, affordable expensive toys, but also for wonderful paid and free show programs.

I divided all the entertainment in Las Vegas into two groups: daytime and evening.

Why is there such a division all of a sudden? Yes, everything is very simple - climatic conditions :) We have been to Las Vegas twice. Once at the end of May, beginning of June, the other at the end of October, beginning of November. And both times during the day the heat was so hot that the asphalt melted. It just felt bad, it seemed like you had just left the hotel, and the sun, waiting for you to overheat, was already hitting your crown. There's no time for entertainment here.

No, if you have transport to move from hotel to hotel, you can arrange a hotel trip (travel) and shopping, but it is better to stay by the pool, or even better to go far out of town, away from the hot concrete.

Apparently, the Las Vegas entertainment business took the temperature factor into account and moved all its shows to the evening. Thus, giving tourists the opportunity to explore the surroundings of Las Vegas. Well, indeed, in the evening you feel like a person, coolness descends on the city (in November we even threw on light jackets sometimes), you are not sweating in three streams, you dressed nicely, relaxed, calmly walked along the Strip, had dinner in a restaurant, attended a show , had a lot of fun and relaxed after a day of traveling through desert Nevada.

Grand Canyon

If you, God knows from where, got to Las Vegas, it would be an unforgivable mistake not to visit the Grand Canyon - one of the world's most famous attractions! No, if you came to squander all your money in the casino, drink all the champagne, eat all the hazel grouse, or finally sleep it off, then, of course, you don’t have to go to the Canyon :)

Well, or you’ve already seen it in pictures :))) and you didn’t like it, then yes, stay at the hotel! But personally, I have not met people whom Grand Canyon left indifferent. In general, I fell in love with the canyons of America - Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Red Canyon - one more beautiful than the other. On the other hand, I know people who chose the Bellagio pools over visiting Antelope Canyon. I won’t point fingers, although it was us :) We’re tired of riding and seeing the beauty. So, calculate your strengths more carefully when planning your trips, friends. :)

So, the Grand Canyon. Believe me, Las Vegas will do everything to ensure that you enjoy visiting this truly natural wonder. Do you want, he will send you there on a tour bus, or in a string of SUVs, and for some money they will take you there on a Hammer, and for quite a bit of money you can circle and land on the bottom of the Canyon in a helicopter. And then even take a ride along the river Colorado by boat

We chose the simplest one, from the passenger’s point of view - our own car, well, ours was rented :) It will certainly be more difficult for the driver, because he needs to find the right path, and find a parking lot, and one so that passengers don’t have to walk for a long time :))

We combined our visit to the Grand Canyon with a visit to another attraction - the SkyWalk bridge.

>
I couldn’t resist borrowing a photo from the official website of Giroux Glass Incorporated. By the way, this site contains interesting information about the design of the bridge.

SkyWalk is the world's tallest glass structure hanging over an abyss. Brave tourists who carefully step onto the glass floor of the bridge, which protrudes more than 20 meters above the canyon's abyss, can glimpse the river from more than a kilometer in height (4000 feet, which is, for a moment, 1219 m). Everything was as the customer wanted - the local Hualapai tribe - the tourist should feel like an eagle soaring in the sky above the canyon.

You will not be allowed to drive close to the bridge by car. Well, the Indian tribe didn’t “build” this bridge for charity?!

Leave your horse in a special parking lot, buy tickets for the shuttlebus, which takes tourists around the entire amusement park - there is an Indian village of craftsmen (an entrance fee is charged), for some reason terribly reminiscent of some kind of cowboy village from the outside, and the glass SkyWalk bridge (for separate money) with a view restaurant and an observation deck (free) right above the cliff, and another platform, but without a bridge.

Many tourists prefer not to go onto the bridge. And there are many reasons for this.

Firstly, this, as I already noted, costs some money. $25 per person.

Secondly, tourists are prohibited from taking with them to the bridge not only backpacks, bags, purses, but even cameras and smartphones :) Therefore, there are very few photographs from the bridge itself - only those taken by photographers with local accreditation and in paper form. And so that a tourist, God forbid, does not carry a smartphone in his bosom, he will definitely be searched before he sets foot on the bridge.

And thirdly, the glass floor is not that clean and transparent for perfect shots. Of course, tourist fashion models clean it regularly with their clothes, but they immediately leave prints of their sweaty palms on it :).

We, knowing everything, still decided to feel like birds :)

What can I say, even for us, accustomed to glass after a glass balcony in Chicago, glass staircases in New York, and glass floors in houses in Fiji, it was excitingly interesting.

I don’t know whether the people on this transparent contraption felt like brave eagles; some moved stupidly on all fours. There are statistics, I don’t know how much you can trust them, 10% of visitors, even having bought a ticket, do not dare to go onto the SkyWalk glass. People are really scared. And the subtle crunch of glass underfoot causes slight panic... This is something.

Yes, you can’t take pictures on the bridge, but beyond it, the entire Grand Canyon is at your disposal. Carry bags, backpacks, cameras, as much as you like. But vigilant employees will still not allow you to approach the unfenced edge - safety comes first!

The trip to the SkyWalk and admiring the Grand Canyon took us almost half a day. Of these, the journey took about two hours one way. It might have taken a lot longer if we had stopped at the Hoover Dam. We didn’t stop by, we stopped nearby to take a couple of pictures of the bridge and that’s it. We were here in 2010 with a tour and guide.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

The next day of our stay in Las Vegas, we, having drunk to the dregs the pleasure of lying by the pool and tormented by our conscience for the cancellation of Antelope Canyon, decided to visit the National Reserve, proudly called Red Rock Canyon - Red Rock Canyon.

I don’t know what I imagined (apparently, the Red Canyon of 2010 never let me go), but what I saw plunged me into slight bewilderment. Where exactly is the canyon?

There are mountains, or to be more precise, there are hills. And one, no, I’m lying as many as two, two huge stones of a beautiful red color, smoothly turning into yellow, and at the foot mixing with green. And an incredibly huge, simply vast plain, framed by these hills. But that's all!

In general, I came here unprepared for what I saw.

Therefore, read me and make allowance for my unprepared bewilderment :)

So, a huge park with a single looped asphalt “path”. I call a path a regular one-way road, about 20 kilometers long at most. On this “trail”, at some intervals at the most picturesque places, observation platforms are made, with parking lots and toilets.

Sometimes at these points there are rough wooden tables with benches. But there are no cafes, no restaurants, no water tents here. A clean reserve, untouched (except for the asphalt) land, sparse vegetation, mostly cacti and thorns, unafraid lizards, non-poisonous snakes patrolling their pebbles, annoying flies :) I think if you go for a walk along the hiking trails along the gorges, you can stumble upon wild animals , announced in the map guide to the asphalt circle.

But the longer we rode around the reserve, the more beautiful and interesting it became for me. I got used to the idea that this was a routine, and calmed down. Simply quiet and surprisingly unusual nature for a tourist from the forest-steppe zone. The hot air stands motionless, the rare greenery does not move in the same way, and the stones, of course. Therefore, any movement on the ground is clearly visible and audible, and the buzzing of rare flies (oh, okay, insects) seems so intrusive.

I think this place will appeal to those who love hiking in the wild. And if you also like tents, camping, spending the night in the open air, then... you might like it here :).

Las Vegas cultural program

For most tourists, Las Vegas is the starting point for a trip to the Grand Canyon. We only had one day, plus we wanted to visit the Hoover Dam. This meant that the Grand Canyon could only be seen at a glance, spending most of the time behind the wheel. Guided by the rule “less is more,” we decided not to rush to see this canyon, but rather to calmly visit the dam and something else nearby.

I posted the dam last time, it’s time for “something” :). As part of this, a small national park 25 km west of Las Vegas - Red Rock Canyon - was developed.
1.

There is a fee to enter the national park, about $7 per car. For this money you will be given a ticket, a park map and a local ranger newspaper.
2. Surrounding landscapes

A 21 km long ring asphalt road runs through the park. There are parking lots at the most colorful points along the route. All such observation platforms are indicated on the map. In addition to the main circular route, there are several side branches - they are unpaved and covered with coarse gravel. Well, of course, the park has a number of hiking routes - trails, as they are called in the USA.
3.

Joshua tree(Joshua Tree), also known as Yucca brevifolia, is a typical representative of this desert area. Such an unusual name was given to this plant by Mormon settlers who traveled to this area in the mid-19th century. The reason for this name was the shape of the trees, which reminded Mormons of the biblical story where Jesus raises his hands to the sky while praying.
4.

During the Paleozoic period (about 600 million years ago), a fairly deep sea was located in this place. At this time, limestones were deposited here.
5.

During the Mesozoic (250 million years ago), due to tectonic movements, the earth's crust began to rise and the sea retreated, leaving evaporite formations high in salt and gypsum.
6.

The former seafloor rocks, which were high in iron, were highly oxidized, producing the characteristic red and orange colors.
7.

At first there were plains with a lot of vegetation, but the climate changed and 180 million years ago. years ago, the area began to turn into a desert with sand dunes. These dunes became lithified and are now known as Aztec sandstones.
8.