Getting in, which now needs planning
- Timed-entry reservations are required for vehicles entering the scenic drive from 1 October to 31 May, for arrivals between 8am and 5pm. They are booked through the federal recreation booking service, and they do sell out at weekends and over holidays.
- Outside those months and outside those hours no reservation is needed — which is one more reason to be at the gate early, since the drive opens at six in the morning all year round.
- There is an entry charge per vehicle, with cheaper rates for motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians. An annual pass for the conservation area exists, and the America the Beautiful national parks pass is accepted — worth considering for anyone also visiting the Grand Canyon or Death Valley on the same trip.
- Closing time moves with the season. The drive shuts at five from November to February, at seven in March and October, and at eight from April to September. The visitor centre keeps shorter hours than the road.
What it actually is
The red rock is Aztec Sandstone — ancient sand dunes turned to stone and stained by iron oxide. What makes the place geologically famous is sitting on top of it: the Keystone Thrust, a fault along which grey limestone has been shoved up and over the younger red sandstone, so the colours appear in the wrong order in the cliff face. It is among the clearest examples of a thrust fault anywhere in the world and it is visible from the road without any walking at all.
The scenic drive
Thirteen miles, one way, with pull-offs and viewpoints along it. It can be driven in an hour without stopping, which rather defeats the object. The Calico Hills come early and are the most photographed part; the High Point Overlook gives the long view back across the valley towards the city.
It is also a well-known cycling climb, and cyclists have every right to the road. Drivers should expect them, particularly early in the day.
Walking
- Short. The Moenkopi loop from the visitor centre, Lost Creek with its seasonal waterfall, and Calico Tanks — the last of which is the best short walk in the conservation area and ends at a natural water basin with a view over the valley.
- Longer. Ice Box Canyon, which holds shade and water longer than anywhere else here, Pine Creek Canyon, and Turtlehead Peak — a genuine climb for a genuine view.
- Scrambling on the Calico sandstone is the main draw for climbers. It is also where most of the rescues happen, because the rock is easier to go up than to come down.
The heat, which is not a formality
This is the part that matters more than everything above it. Red Rock is Mojave Desert: in summer the canyon routinely exceeds 40°C, there is almost no shade on the trails and there is no drinking water on them. Rangers carry out rescues every year of visitors who set off at midday with one small bottle, and people die in the desert around Las Vegas with some regularity.
The rules are unglamorous and they work:
- Walk at dawn, or do not walk. From roughly June to September the sensible visit is the drive and the overlooks, not the trails.
- Carry far more water than seems reasonable — several litres each for anything beyond a stroll, and more in summer.
- A hat and covered shoulders do more than sun cream alone.
- Tell somebody the intended route, and note that mobile coverage is patchy in the canyons.
- Turn back earlier than planned rather than later. The walk out is always harder than the walk in, and it is hotter by then.
Winter is the best walking season by a wide margin: cold, clear mornings, and occasional snow on the higher ground, which against red sandstone is worth the trip on its own.
Wildlife
- Desert tortoises are protected and must not be handled. A frightened tortoise empties its bladder, which in a desert can kill it — so a well-meant lift off the road can be fatal.
- Wild burros, descended from escaped prospectors' pack animals, graze near the roads outside the conservation area. They are not tame and feeding them is both illegal and a good way to be bitten.
- Bighorn sheep on the higher slopes, and raptors including red-tailed hawks riding the thermals off the escarpment.
- Rattlesnakes. They avoid people and are a reason to look before putting a hand on a ledge while scrambling, rather than a reason to stay away.
Not to be confused with
Red Rock Canyon is often muddled with Valley of Fire State Park, which is also red sandstone, is about an hour to the north-east, and is a separate and longer day out. Neither has anything to do with the Grand Canyon, which is a great deal further.
General practicalities for the city, including the heat and hiring a car, are on the Las Vegas page.