During our month-long stay in Pahrump, Nevada, we made a day trip out to Las Vegas to make a Costco run and visit the premium outlets. Along the way first, we stopped by Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area which is 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. There is a 13-mile scenic drive, hiking, camping, off-roading, and a Visitor Center (currently closed). Don’t have time to read this now? Pin it for later!

Timed Entry Permit

You have to make reservations in advance online and show up during your one-hour arrival time slot, although you can spend as much time there as you want once you are in. The cost is $2 in addition to the National Park Fee which is waived if you have an annual pass as we do. Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance, and are required until May 31, 2021. Reservations are required again starting October 1, 2021.

When we arrived at 10 am mid-week, there was a line of cars, but the queue went fast. Apparently even during COVID19, this is still a popular spot, which I speculate is due to the proximity of Las Vegas which is bringing in some of the tourists. We later found out it could also be due to it being spring break (3/29) because the outlets we visited afterward were also packed.

Our original plan was to first hike Calico Tanks, but the adjacent parking lot to the trailhead was already full! After slowly circling the lot, we just opted to go for whatever had room.

Keystone Thrust

Hoping to have better luck, we took the dirt road off of the Upper White Rock parking lot. We made a spot at the Keystone Thrust parking lot which was also nearly full! The Keystone Thrust hike is an easy roundtrip of 2.2 miles with an elevation gain of 400 feet. According to park trail descriptions “The Keystone Thrust is one of the most significant geological features of Red Rock Canyon.”

At first, it wasn’t really obvious what the Keystone Thrust was, and some older hikers we talked to who had been coming for decades also didn’t know. After climbing to a high spot and getting some internet, we learned a thrust fault is what happens when compressional tectonic forces cause rocks and landmasses to move together. This motion creates thrust faults and displaces existing rock layers. Apparently, we were hiking along with one of these faults. Nothing too exciting except some views of the red rocks and Las Vegas in the distance.

Ice Box Canyon

Next, we hiked Ice Box Canyon which is a moderate to strenuous 2.6-mile hike in and back out with 300 ft elevation gain. The first half is crossing the open desert to get to the canyon. I would say the reason this one is more challenging because the entire back half is walking on loose rocks and climbing across boulders, although it is much cooler for that part because you are in the shade of the canyon. In some parts, the trail is loosely marked and there are often several ways of varying difficulties to pass. In the end, there is a seasonal waterfall that by this time of year was nearly dried up.

Conclusion

While we only did two hikes and had a picnic lunch, there are over twenty more trails so you could spend a whole day here if you want something more outdoor family-oriented or a break from what Las Vegas typically offers. For overnight stays, the campground is more oriented to tent camping, it does not really support RVs, and is closed during the hottest months of summer (you probably don’t want to visit then anyways due to the heat).

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Pictures