Red Rock Canyon - Las Vegas, Nevada

Two weeks ago I went to Las Vegas to attend the Waste Expo. Not having ANY luck on the slots and crap table, I decided to check out Red Rock Canyon. Although I didn't take my bike, I read and heard much about Red Rocks and the great cycling there so I decided to check it out.

Getting there was pretty easy, just take Charleston and head West, straight to the mountain range in the distance. Getting closer to the mountains, look for the cutoff on the right to the Visitor Center. There you will need to pay a $5 fee to drive the canyon, bikes are free though. (I lucked out as no one was collecting a fee on the day I was there.)

I found Red Rock Canyon Drive to be a very bike friendly one way 13 mile loop that starts at the visitor center and ends at Blue Diamond Road. From Blue Diamond, you need to take a left and ride back about 2 miles or so to the visitor center. Here's a link to a good map: Red Rock Map

I saw some cyclist riding from the nearby Summerlin area out to the Canyon. However, I would rather drive out and park at the lookout on Blue Diamond Road as the traffic to the canyon was fast (65-70 mph) and that is just a little to fast for me, even though there is a fairly wide shoulder.

Needless to say, the entire drive was awe inspiring. The canyon really lived up to its Red Rock name. Click here to see the pictures I took while exploring the canyon: Red Rock Canyon Picture Album.

If you don't bring a bike, bring your hiking shoes and WATER as there were many hiking trails from short loops to entire day hikes. I took some for a hunderd yards or so, just to get closer to the canyon walls. I also took one short hike to see the waterfall at Ice Box Canyon. The name Ice Box Canyon was so apropo as I was FREEZING in the cool afternoon shade. A waterfall in the desert seems very strange, but, it had been raining for a week or so before I got to Vegas.

Here's a link to some Red Rock Canyon websites: www.redrock.org and www.redrockcanyonlv.org.

Also, here's a short video I took of the waterfall.