Red Rock Canyon

[hikingprincess]

Has anyone ever done any hiking in Red Rock Canyon? How difficult is it? I am heading out that way in a few weeks and I would really love to go hit the trails out there.

[wvbreamfisherman]

Red Rock Canyon ,west of Las Vegas? I can't say I really hiked it, but I messed around on a lot of footpaths there a few years back. Beautiful place, the colors in the rocks are amazing. I didn't run into anything too difficult, but if you really went deep into it you'd probably do some rock scrambling.

Carry lots of water and don't get lost.

I think Valley of Fire State Park is actually a little nicer for hiking around- it's full of pictographs and lots of decent paths. It's a longer drive and even more isolated, than Red Rocks. Be very careful out there, especially in hot weather. I was there in February, and it was almost shirtsleeve weather. If you got in there by yourself and broke a leg it might be a long time before anyone found you.

[ppine]

Red Rock, NV is a great place in the cooler months. It is heavily used, but it is easy to lose the crowds after about 2 miles. There is some wonderful bird habitat, and decent riparian areas especially in the western part that has some pine trees. It is actually a great place for an off-season backpacking trip which would provide a lot of contrast to the neon lights of Las Vegas.

Valley of Fire is highly scenic and has some of the same formations as the Grand Canyon. It is lower in elevation, drier and has little backcountry. It is more of a short day hike and picnic type of place to visit. The petroglphs are very interesting to most.

In the warmer months, it is risky to get too far from water.

[hikingprincess]

PPine, thanks for all the detail I will definitely be hitting Red Rock. I can't wait to get out there. I am looking for more than a picnic type of place so I will probably skip Valley of Fire. I am heading out in less than 2 weeks so it will be cooler weather for hiking.