By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
There’s no questioning the hypnotic allure of the Las Vegas strip. Today’s casinos, shops and attractions not only offer the glitter and flash of days gone by, some even mimic famous tourist destinations – New York New York has a scale model of the Statue of Liberty, Paris has a mini Eiffel Tower and the Venetia has a recreation of the famed St. Mark’s Square ¬complete with a canal and singing gondoliers.
With so much to see and do, many tourists don’t venture past the end of the Las Vegas Boulevard. Unfortunately, those that don’t venture off the strip miss a chance to experience the true beauty of Nevada just a short drive to the west, at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
My family and I made the 25-mile, approximately 30-minute drive out to the canyon during a visit to Las Vegas for a team competition this past February. Our journey of discovery started as we headed out of the city, winding our way through some of the neatly planned and landscaped condominium neighborhoods that ring the glittery jewel that is the Strip. Surprisingly, there were very few single-family houses on our drive toward the desert, a contrast to the way neighborhoods are constructed back home.
Civilization ended abruptly, leaving us on a long stretch of two-lane highway cutting through sandy, pebble-strewn fields of agave and yucca, dotted by the occasional lone Joshua tree. Ahead in the distance hunched a saw tooth of mountains, some painted red and white by the sun, others shrouded in purple shadows.
It was a Sunday, and it wasn’t many more miles down the blacktop before we caught up with the queue of visitors lining up to enter the mostly volunteer-run conservation area. A $7 entrance fee got us through the gates and on the road to the visitor’s center for our introduction to the Canyon and what it had to offer.
Red Rock Canyon is comprised of 195,819 acres, all within the Mojave Desert, and a panoramic window in the Visitor’s Center gave us a glimpse of the imposing landscape we were about to encounter. Depending on the season, the canyon can be blistering hot, or freezing cold, we were told by the Ranger on duty, with weather conditions known to change very rapidly – something we had already noticed when the wind picked up as we headed from the sunny parking lot to the building. We were also warned to be aware of washout areas, as the Canyon had experienced heavy rains the day before. Those same rains, a volunteer interpreter told us, would provide us with a rare glimpse of the canyon’s winter waterfall, which only occurs during rainy times in January and February.
We pored over the map supplied by the same volunteer, noting the multiple hiking trails available at numerous spots throughout the canyon preserve. We also spotted the 13-mile scenic driving route with designated viewing stops along the way. Dressed primarily for the warmer weather we had left on the strip and wearing only sneakers – not the best footwear for traversing rocky terrain – we opted for the hour-long scenic drive.
Red Rock is a geological marvel, according to the explanation of its rock formations, which include 190 million year old Aztec sandstone and 250-million-year old fossil-laden limestone that once rested on the bottom of an ancient ocean that, in places, was folded together into layers by the action of the Keystone Thrust Fault 65 million years ago.
To the naked eye, the result is a haunting landscape of roughly-sanded folds or rock in shades of red, rust and white thrust up through a bed or grey-brown pebbles dotted with scraggly green plants clinging to life. When the sun plays across the contrasting hues, mere photographs can’t do the image justice. We didn’t see any wildlife on our drive, but the contrast of lush green in some secluded valleys and barren rock in others just added to the otherworldly aura of the area.
We did stop multiple times to peer down into craggy crevices in the rock or look up at imposing cliffs, marvel at the water rushing down what had obviously been a dry gulch the day before, and of course, follow a fairly flat trail far enough to catch a glimpse of the illusive Red Rock waterfall.
The next time we visit Vegas, I’ll be sure to pack the proper gear so we can participate in one of the many guided hikes through scenic areas of the canyon. Or maybe, we’ll just pop for the popular open jeep tour offered by an independent vendor. For those who camp, there is also a campground located a short distance from the canyon’s gate.
For more information about Red rock Canyon, including tips for hikes and visitors, visit http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org
