My favourite attraction in Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, perhaps the best hiking and scrambling destination in the world this close to a major city.
It’s super popular with road bikes, too. I was out-of-place on the 13mi (21km) scenic loop drive … on a mountain bike.
There is no off trail biking allowed at Red Rock.
My first stop was the new Visitor’s Center. Impressive.
From there I road on to the Calico Tanks trailhead:
… fairly strenuous, 1.2-mile hike and scramble runs up a canyon and over sandstone slickrock to a large natural depression (a tank or tinaja) near the top of the Calico Hills ridge. The tank sometimes holds water. There are great views of Calico Basin and the Las Vegas valley from a saddle just beyond the tank. …
The trail is not well signed nor defined. But at the Visitor Center it was explained to me …
Follow the obvious trail. When that runs out, look for stone steps.
When there is no trail and no steps, scramble up the easiest way you can find. Until the next section of trail. Or steps.
Finally you reach the largest “tank” itself.
Five minutes higher and you just might be able to eye your Casino hotel in the distance.
The hiking’s fine at Red Rock. But, for me, the best activity is rock scrambling.
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