Red Rock Canyon - 13 Mile Scenic Drive

The 13 mile Scenic Drive is a one-way paved roadway around Red Rock Canyon shared by both cars and bikes. Just touring around the loop and pausing at each of the stops to walk around (there can be over a dozen if you get really particular) can be up to a half day. We realized we would need much more time if we wanted to do any of the hikes around the area, so we we’re marking this place as somewhere we want to come back to in the future.

First things first. A map.

One of the nice things about Red Rock Canyon is its close proximity to the Las Vegas strip. A 30 minute drive is all it takes. We rented e-bikes, so our journey began slightly outside of the park, and then we biked on the shoulder of the highway until we reached this sign.

The Visitor's Center is just past the toll booth (entry fee and timed entry for cars, bikes also have to pay an entry fee but can enter whenever). It has some pretty great views along with the usual things like bathrooms, a gift shop, and local maps. There is also a Desert Tortoise habitat (although we didn't see any when we were there) and a little interpretive trail.

Our first stop was Calico I. 190 million years ago these rock formations were actually huge sand dunes. One thing that we weren’t able to do was partake in one of the 26 different hikes in the area. The hike that I wanted to do was the Calico Tanks which takes you deeper into these stunning red rocks.

If the Calico I stop does not provide enough red rock landscape, there is also the Calico II stop just next door. Note the climbers in the crevice for scale (yes, they're there...). The rock is called Aztec sandstone and the redness comes from the high iron oxide content in the rocks.

While this place is called Red Rock Canyon, and the first two stops definitely have red rocks, then entire park has way more to offer. If we go back in time, say 500 million years, this area was at the bottom of a prehistoric ocean and the rock layers are the layers of sediment that formed at the bottom of the sea.

The High Point Overlook stop gives stunning views of the Mojave Desert. The entire park contains 195,819 acres of desert landscape.

A little cacti close-up to break up the scenery. Although this is a desert, cacti aren't the only things that grow here. There are over 600 different species of plants that can be found in Red Rock Canyon, including yucca, agave, and Joshua trees.

Over three million visitors a year come here, but it was very quiet while we were here. I'm not sure if we were just lucky or if Red Rock Canyon is really this uncrowded and peaceful.

While this area may look open and uninhabited, a lot of wildlife can be found here (although we didn’t see any). Zebra tailed lizards, sheep, mule deer, and even burros that were originally domestic but became wild.

Oh, and let's not forget tortoises! There are even tortoise signs along the side of the 13 mile Scenic Drive road that warn to be careful of them.

These neat rock formations lead into Ice Box canyon which is a shaded box canyon with waterfalls that keep things cool. Again, another hike for another day.

Back to cacti for a moment. I think this spiky wonder is called a cholla cactus (don't quite me though). We stayed a healthy distance away from these barbed spines!

Our final viewpoint and 13th mile before hitting the highway back was Pine Creek Canyon. So much to see, so little time.