{"id":25844,"date":"2024-05-01T00:01:17","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T07:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=25844"},"modified":"2024-04-30T09:36:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T16:36:49","slug":"red-rock-canyon-national-conservation-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/05\/01\/red-rock-canyon-national-conservation-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is an interesting spot located just west of Las Vegas.\u00a0 During our recent visit to Death Valley, we rode to the Red Rock Canyon area after stopping for lunch at Mom’s (a great restaurant) in Pahrump.<\/p>\n

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Pahrump is 30 miles northwest of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on Highway 160; Las Vegas is 17 miles to the east.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has a good plan for managing visitors.\u00a0 You have to make an online reservation that slots you into 15-minute arrival intervals.\u00a0 \u00a0There’s $16 entrance fee (I guess it’s per vehicle), but when we arrived the park ranger didn’t even look at my senior citizen lifetime pass.\u00a0 He just waived us in.\u00a0 That’s happened to me a few times at National Parks.\u00a0 Maybe I just look old.<\/p>\n

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We took Highway 160 east from Pahrump and it was a pleasant ride.\u00a0 As we approached Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, the Spring Mountains on our left (north of Highway 160) had brilliant burgundy horizontal rock layers.\u00a0 The red is caused by iron oxide.\u00a0 We weren’t even in the Park yet, and the views were already stunning.\u00a0 It really is something to see.<\/p>\n

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Once we entered Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, we explored the Visitor Center and four interpretive exhibits accessible via a walkway outside.\u00a0 After that, we started the 13-mile one-way ride through the park.\u00a0 There are many stops offering different views of the mountains and rock formations.\u00a0 \u00a0Motorcycles are fine on this road, and we also saw people riding bicycles.\u00a0 I’d like to do the ride on a bicycle someday.\u00a0 It looked like fun.<\/p>\n

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Desert tortoises live here and there are exhibits that provide information about them.\u00a0 \u00a0The tortoises live near Visitor Center paths, but we didn’t see them while we were there.\u00a0 That’s okay; I’ve seen desert tortoises out and about on previous treks.\u00a0 As an aside, if you happen to see one, don’t pick it up.\u00a0 Doing so will frighten the tortoise and literally scare the pee out of it, which can induce dehydration and kill the tortoise.\u00a0 The desert tortoise is a protected species, so leave them alone.<\/p>\n

You can hike and camp in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.\u00a0 When I read that I immediately thought of Mike Huber, who is wheeling and camping his way around New Zealand as I write this.<\/p>\n

Although I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, I had never visited Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.\u00a0 It’s about as different from Las Vegas as a place can be, and in my opinion that’s a good thing.\u00a0 If you’re ever in this part of the world, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is worth a stop.<\/p>\n

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