Red Rock Canyon with its beauty and silence is just a few minutes away from Las Vegas.
I was going to blog about glitzy Las Vegas today but we took a detour. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a few miles to the west of the Strip and it’s billion dollar pleasure palaces. Nothing could provide a greater contrast. Glitz and noise are replaced by beauty and silence. And, unlike Las Vegas, the park is not dedicated to separating you from your money. I could make the $7 dollar per vehicle entrance fee disappear into a video poker machine faster than it took the park ranger to collect it.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Park features one of the most impressive visitor centers I have seen in my decades of visiting State and National Parks across the United States.
I took this desert tortoise photo at the Visitor Center for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
This human size silver lizard was one of several sculptures at the Red Canyon Visitors’ Center.
Peggy is standing next to a sculpture representing air. Note the rabbit ears in the background.
Ken Lake, dressed up in his SF Giants memorabilia, demonstrates the proper use of the rabbit ears.
We spent an hour with our friends Ken and Leslie Lake checking out the Visitor Center and then another three hours on a leisurely tour of the 13-mile drive through the park. We could have easily spent all day had we taken advantage of the numerous trails along the way.
A view of the mountains and their distinctive ribbon of red from the Red Rock Canyon Visitor’s Center. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
Another view of the mountains in Red Rock Canyon taken by Peggy.
I liked the contrasting rock colors provided by this photo on our 13 mile drive through Red Rock Canyon.
The erosive forces of wind and water were at work here. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
Peggy captured this jumble of highly eroded rocks, which reminded me of Bryce Canyon.
Numerous trails and canyons along the way invited further exploration. Both springs and Indian Rock Art are found hidden away in the canyons. Next time…
NEXT BLOG: I will do the blog on Las Vegas glitz that I was going to do today.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Glad you chose this post today 😉 Lovely.
Thanks… Las vegas can be fun, for a short period of time, but it is ever so important to remember that Nevada has so much more to offer. The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has only been open for three years and the vast majority of people who come to Las Vegas will never see it… but what a treasure!
Perhaps one or two more will now.
I hope!
Such a beautiful landscape… Love that tortoise!!
Beautiful it is… And so close to town. Suspect the Casinos don’t promote it. Time away from the slots. (grin)
Very true… and so sad!!
Fortunately, Las Vegas wants to attract families and visiting Red Rock Canyon is a great thing for a family to do.
That’s an AMAZING place….
Beautiful and if it were up to me, I’d rather see Red Rock than a casino…They should promote it because then more people would come, say give a discount on a day tour then gamble @ night..
Which they might if it weren’t giving up day time earnings. Did I mention the motivating force for Las Vegas is pure and simple greed? The city is interested in promoting itself as an all around resort, however.