Serious hikers can find countless challenging routes to amazing views, and rock climbers consider the Red Rocks a world class destination. Even if you just want a quick dip into nature without being bound to a long narrow one-way road or are not in the mood of paying for access to the scenic drive, you can still find vista points and hiking opportunities outside the fee area.
This guide will introduce you to 5 hikes in the park and its vicinity, mostly easy to make or moderate at the most.
1. Red Spring
Distance: 0.5 miles loop.
Condition: paved.
Difficulty: very easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a hot day.
Before taking the plunge into the 13-mile scenic drive, you may want to take a quick and pleasant stroll at Red Spring, a fee-free destination within Red Rock Canyon NCA. Three and half miles after exiting Hwy 215 onto W. Charleston Blvd./Hwy 159, take a right turn onto Calico Basin Rd, and follow it to reach the well-constructed parking area designated for Red Spring, fitted with picnic shelters and a handicapped-accessible boardwalk around the lush oasis irrigated by spring water. The multi-colored hill that towers beside the boardwalk is part of Calico Hills that we’ll also visit in the next hike.
Additional trails also extend south of the boardwalk to some rock climbing destinations. A south-side spur trail (accessible through a gate on the boardwalk) leads to a high point for great views. However, the trail is steep and covered with loose gravels. Don’t attempt it unless your shoes have good traction.
There are boulders with petroglyphs alongside the boardwalk. Additionally, hidden treasures are also visible to inquisitive eyes—petroglyphs are scattered on rocks on the hill above Red Spring. An example is at the exhibit plate “A Spring is Born”. Look up the hillside and you’ll see an exquisite glyph of textile patterns. Although the park doesn’t prohibit rock scrambling on Calico Hills for closer views of the glyphs, a hiker’s presence on the hillside near the boardwalk isn’t a pleasant sight for other visitors, so please be considerate and use a telescope or telephoto lens to appreciate the rock art from below.
2. Cannibal Crag Trail
Distance: 1.3 miles out and back.
Condition: well trekked.
Difficulty: easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 750 ml on a cool day; 1.5 liters on a hot day.
At the Red Spring parking lot and picnic area, you can find exhibit plates showing Calico Basin area rock climbing routes. Several routes are located north of the oasis and are accessible via Cannibal Crag Trail. Although you won’t necessarily want to join the rock climbers, the trail itself can be a pleasant trek on a cool morning, and you can stop by the rock climbing destinations to vicariously appreciate the climbers’ adventures.
Cannibal Crag is the giant monolith in the picture above and is very popular among rock climbers. Every time I hiked along this trail, I found climbers here.
The trail terminates naturally in a small drainage on the hillside. It is possible to scramble up the drainage and even reach the other side of the hill. However, don’t attempt this exploration on a whim. To go off-trail for rock scrambling, you must be well prepared with plenty of water and wear boots that offer good traction.
3. Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center
Distance: 0.3 miles out and back to interpretive overlook.
Condition: well trekked.
Difficulty: very easy.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml on a hot day.
The well-constructed visitor center of Red Rock Canyon NCA, located near the entrance to the scenic drive, not only offers various exhibits such as rock art but also features a room with large window panes for viewing Calico Hills, the rolling sandstone hills to the northeast that boasts incredible colors. Outside the building, you can also find great vista points for 180° panorama of Calico Hills and the escarpment (the mountain range to the west with bands of red and brown colors, officially known as Sandstone Bluffs or Wilson Cliffs).
All these beautiful colors come from Aztec Sandstone, the same type as is found in Valley of Fire State Park. Varying exposure to water and different mineral contents have resulted in shifting hues and combinations of colors, especially on Calico Hills.
Before you hit the road again, you may want to stroll through the nice picnic area outside the visitor center and stop by a very interesting scenic overlook point that features a giant map of the park on the concrete deck and various exhibit plates about scenic views and destinations around the park.
There are well marked trails from the visitor center to the desert terrain nearby and also to Calico Hills. You can park your car here and hike about a mile to Calico Hills if you want to avoid the 13-mile one-way drive.
4.Calico Hills
Distance: 0.9 miles one-way from the 1st to the 2nd overlook; 1 mile one-way from the 2nd overlook to Sandstone Quarry (0.3 miles to petroglyph site).
Condition: well maintained.
Difficulty: moderate.
Water Recommendation per Person: 500 ml-1 liter on a cool day; 1-2 liters on a hot day.
The first 3 stops along the scenic drive are all alongside Calico Hills. Just a quick stop at each parking lot will give you excellent opportunities to snap some great photos. However, aren’t the beauty of nature inviting for a closer encounter? I know many who didn’t plan for hiking but ended up spending hours at this sandstone wonderland. You’ll be much better off preparing for it by wearing good shoes and bringing plenty of water! Another reason to prepare for hiking here is that parking can be difficult at times, and you can park at the 2nd overlook or even at Sandstone Quarry (the 3rd stop) and hike back to some missed scenic views.
Sandstone Terrains
Sandstone terrains generally offer good traction unless wet, and provide abundant opportunities for off-trail explorations. You’ll find people trekking up to great heights or scrambling down to the bottom of the small canyon beside the hill. If you want to do so, please be very cautious and not make risky maneuvers (a fall around this area can easily be fatal), and obey any “Trail Closed” signs to protect sensitive environments.
The official trail linking the parking lots is well signed and located west to a small desert wash that runs alongside Calico Hills. However, an unofficial use trail that branches off the official trail near the 1st overlook receives no less foot traffic because it goes closer to the hills and offers great views.
The Problem with Unoffical Trail
The problem with this unofficial trail is it ends nowhere—farther along the use trail, you will see fewer and fewer footprints until reaching the high point of a small hill, where the only options are to retrace your steps back or to scramble down a gully as shown below. If you are comfortable with scrambling and choose the latter option, you’ll soon find yourself on the official trail and quite close to the 2nd overlook of Calico Hills, where you may continue farther or return via the official trail.
My mentioning of the scramble route is for your information and not a recommendation, and you are strongly advised not to take small children on a scrambling adventure, as an easy scramble for a grownup may pose major risks to those whose limbs aren’t long enough. Indeed, most visitors who wander onto this unofficial trail just return after a few hundred feet.
It is another mile from the 2nd overlook to Sandstone Quarry, where solid red colors dominate the scene and beige colors add some variations to the top of the hills. If you are not in the mood for hiking out to and back from Sandstone Quarry, a good option is to trek 1/4 mile north along the trail to see a large boulder with petroglyphs, and then return from there.
5. Calico Tanks
Distance: 2.5 miles out and back.
Condition: well maintained; some scrambling along the way.
Difficulty: moderate.
Elevation Gain: 370 ft.
Water Recommendation per Person: 1 liter on a cool day; 2 liters on a hot day.
Calico Tanks trail is a popular hiking destination, not only for its namesake—a depression in the sandstone hills that holds water for months, but also for the beautiful sandstone hills, outcrops, and slots along the hiking path. My photo of the tank doesn’t do it justice as I visited it when it was almost dry (before the first major winter storm arrived). You’ll have a good chance of seeing more water if coming in the spring.
This hike starts at the Sandstone Quarry parking lot (the remnant of the quarry is less than 500 feet from the trailhead). Portions of the trail are on slick rocks beside deep slots and/or require some scrambling, where you need extra caution, especially when hiking with minors.
An extra perk of this hike is the view of Las Vegas, if you can negotiate your way around the tank and reach its far side. Since the rock formations around this area are very inviting to adventurous hikers, I have to specifically remind you of the often fatal hazards here—in 2013, a teenager fell to death near Calico Tank. If you have minors in your hiking party, please keep watchful eyes on them, and don’t hesitate to skip off-trail excursions like the Las Vegas viewpoint.