Hiking in Las Vegas
A hike is one of the best ways to kick off a new year. Our original pre-pandemic plans had us in Las Vegas for New Years, with hopes of a warmer first hike. Guess not. With only days left until our appointment for our second COVID vaccination, it seemed a bit irresponsible to not hold out at home just a little longer. So instead, our first hike of the year will be a snowy one at home. I anticipate as 2021 kicks off, many of us will be slowly easing back into travels with domestic trips – and perhaps exploring new sites in familiar destinations.
Hiking in Las Vegas? Why, yes! The area around Las Vegas is home to some gorgeous desert landscapes, and if you are like us and don’t gamble, it is worth exploring. Even in a non-pandemic year, it is a great way to experience peace and solitude in contrast to the Strip.
Tips: Parks are generally open sunrise to sunset (check times before you go). I prefer hiking on weekdays when the crowds are less, but make sure to plan around rush hour traffic (if you aren’t a super early riser, starting out between 8-10am will miss most of the traffic and park crowds on weekdays; at Red Rocks, expect a line of cars and a wait to get in on a weekend if you aren’t there early. Plan to be back to the strip well before 4pm (3pm on a Friday or Saturday), if you don’t want to be stuck in gridlock.
Gear needed: Bring plenty of water, I recommend 2 liters per person. Also bring layers – the desert can get cold, and parts of Red Rocks do see snow in winter. Sturdy hiking boots and hiking poles can be helpful for more difficult hikes such as Red Rock’s Turtlehead Peak; regular tennis shoes are fine for easy to moderate hikes. Cell phone service is spotty to non-existent in all of these parks, so save maps and info to your phone to access off-line.
Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area
Visible from much of Las Vegas, this National Conservation area offers a whopping 26 trail heads – plenty to keep you busy. If you aren’t much of a hiker, I still recommend driving the scenic loop, stopping along the way to take photos – some of the best parts of the park are viewable from the main road. If some members of your group really aren’t interested in going, drop them off at Red Rocks Casino on your way to the park – shopping, movie theaters, and restaurants aplenty will keep them busy.
Without traffic, Red Rocks is a 35 minute drive from the Strip. Plan to arrive before 10am to beat the crowds (the line of cars waiting to get in can stretch more than a mile down the road if you come midday!). Parking can get quite tight on the trail heads as well. If you have show tickets or a dinner reservation that evening, allow for plenty of time to drive back out of the park – it can take a good 45 minutes to drive the entire 13 mile scenic loop through the park (traffic speed typically 25-30 mph), so budget your time accordingly. Check the park’s website before going, in case of any closures or advisories (this winter, due to COVID-19 reservations are required to access the park). A visitor’s guide can be found here.
Layout: After the park entrance, you will see the visitor’s center on your left, where you will find bathrooms (don’t pass them up!) and a water bottle filling station. Past the visitor’s center, the one-way main road circles counter clockwise across the valley in a 13 mile scenic loop . There are hiking trails that start from the visitor’s center which don’t require driving the entire loop – these are perfect for a long trail run (or for those looking to skip the 13 mile scenic drive – which does take time). For day hikes, and if you are new to this park, I would save your shoe leather and drive further into the park; just remember that you cannot backtrack since the road is one way only.
Factor in weather when choosing your trail(s) – in the winter, you’ll want to stick to trails on the sunnier east side of the park where you will have more sun exposure; if it is hot out, the trails into the canyons on the west side such as Ice Box Canyon offer more shade and cooler temperatures (and snow, in the winter – consequently, some of these trails are seasonal). For winter months, we stick to Calico I/II and the Sandstone quarry trails.
Calico I and Calico II are eye-catching areas visible from outside the park with their striking red rock. Either parking area will link you to the same network of trails. Gravel trails wander down into the base, and exploring further up the rocks is a way to escape the crowds but requires some “bouldering.” If you choose to climb further up, close attention to which way you came, so that you don’t get stuck! This is a fun area to explore and wander.
Sandstone Quarry is just past Calico I/II and is the highest yield stop -consequently, the parking lot here fills up fast so come early. If you head to your right after the parking lot, you can explore Calico Tanks – more great rock formations (and some bouldering required), this is a 2.5 mile out and back trail against beautiful rock formations.
By heading to the left after the parking lot, just past the old quarry remnants, you will find a very well marked trail, Turtlehead Peak, which provides a longer 4.6 mile, 3-4 hour out-and-back hike. Turtlehead Peak is the highest point hike-able in the park, and offers sweeping views. The initial portion of the trail is well marked, and easy. At a little over 1 mile in, the wide trail changes to a very steep, narrow, and at times hard to follow, trail up the chute. There are red white, and green trail blazes to follow, as well as occasional signs and cairns (stacks of rock)). Good shoes from this point on are key as the ground is very loose – hiking poles are not a bad idea here – this trail is difficult and extremely slippery with all the loose rock so beware. Eventually, you will reach a saddle where you can breath a bit and take in a few views. The last half mile of trail is a bit complicated, the trails seem to split and rejoin. In general, the path heads south along a ridge and circles the summit a bit counterclockwise. We followed the teal-green blazes best we could, but it is a bit of a choose your own adventure. At the summit, enjoy the view, and be prepared for the wind.
Further on the loop, Ice Box Canyon offers wildflowers in the spring, and is worth hiking up a short distance just to the entrance of the canyon (the entire hike to the end of the is 2.6 miles and involves more bouldering in the canyon). Keystone Thrust and White Rock are also popular trails that we have on our to-do list but have not yet explored.
After your hike, if you find yourself starving and hangry, Red Rocks Casino and Downtown Summerlin are not far from the park entrance, and both offer lots of dining options. Chinatown is also on the way back to the strip.
Valley of Fire State Park
The Valley of Fire state park offers no big climbs or summits, rather, 46,000 acres of spectacular views of sandstone and limestone rock formations as well petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years. This park is much less crowded than Red Rocks, making it a better choice for weekend hiking, and is just a bit of a further drive out, at 1 hour from the strip on Interstate 15. You can see the highlights in about 2-3 hours, but I would allow a more leisurely 4-5 hours. During the cooler months plan to be in the park between about 9am-2pm during the warmest parts of the day (you’ll also avoid the worst of Vegas traffic this way, and have time for a nap and a shower when you return). Bring a picnic and enjoy the scenery. All of the hikes are easy to moderate – not as exciting as Red Rocks, but it is a more visually spectacular and photogenic park.
Similar to Red Rocks, you will find lots of view points and trail heads to drive to, and for a first trip, I recommend planning for short hikes and walks at the various stopping points along the drive. Favorite spots I recommend:
- Fire Wave (pictured above, 1.5 miles round trip, best photo ops here)
- White Domes – takes you through a narrow slot canyon (1.25 miles, best hiked clockwise)
- Pastel Canyon/Pink Canyon (short walk)
- Rainbow Vista (best to hike just to the panorama, which is 1 mile round trip, although you can hike further)
- Beehive rock (near the entrance, great photo op)
- Petroglyphs: best seen at Atlatl rock or on Mouse’s tank trail (only 0.75 miles round trip).
Death Valley National Park
A comprehensive list of parks near Las Vegas should not exclude Death Valley National Park: sand dunes, gorgeous surreal landscapes, and painted canyons await. It is best visited in late fall, winter, or spring when wildflowers bloom. We have not explored this park yet as it is a cram-packed day trip with lots of driving, which might not be appealing if your time in Vegas is short; however, a pandemic year is a great excuse to make the venture. Two days is recommended for fully exploring, but it is feasible to see the highlights in a day trip if you start early (as in 6am early) with a very full tank of gas, and plan for a lot of driving. It is a 2 hour, 110 mile drive from the Strip on NV-160 (4 hours drive round trip) and you will also need to allow for time driving to various sites within the park (a good 140 miles, another ~ 3.5 hours worth of driving).
Post-hike: Hungry? Check out our Las Vegas restaurant recommendations!
All photos © Buona Forchetta.