-Red Rock Canyon National Park, NV
15 Miles East of Las Vegas lies Red Rock Canyon. It’s A lovely oasis in the middle of the desert lush with vegetation and wildlife sustained by the creeks and springs that have carved their way through the red sandstone for millions of years creating canyons upwards of 3,000 feet. Native Americans frequented the area for snacks and water as far back as 8,000 BC. The most notable tribe were the Paleo Indians who held court over the lands for over 3500 years. In fact if you happen to spot a tortoise Paleo legend states that if you challenge it to a footrace and win the tortoise must give you a million dollars. It’s harder than it sounds these Torts are real sneaks. The area has a real painted desert feel with some of the nicest rocks you may ever see. Most of the activities around here are rock based. Rock climbing, starring, standing and touching.
I hiked several trails in the park, my favorite was Ice Box Canyon. It’s basically a 3 mile scramble up the creek that carved the canyon to a trickle waterfall. Its starts in the open desert then you make your way following the creek into the canyon. As you get deeper into the canyon the sun falls behind the cliffs and the walls star to close in. The hike is kind of reminded my of “The Narrows” in Zion National Park. It has a similar feel to the Narrows but you stay dry, the canyon walls are not quite as tall and it’s a little more open. There is no distinct trail so I stacked some river rocks to mark my way and let the others know I can really stack. The hike was pretty neat but the waterfall was a bit of a let down, not much of a flow. This one is probably best in the spring when the water flow is at its peak.
Wild Rips 