Red Rock Canyon, Nevada!

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada!

I recently took advantage of a holiday weekend to drive over to the famous Red Rock State Park of Nevada with a couple of friends for a bit of climbing and camping. If you have never been to the famous state park on the West border of Las Vegas, it is quite a sight. Endless mountains of sandstone, dusted in red, rise thousands of feet high all around you in a breathtaking sight.

 

This park is littered with hiking and rock climbing routes. Park at any pullout, and there will be a map with clear directions on where the trails are. The climbing areas are usually not specified on the onsight map, but they are everywhere, especially at the first, second and third pullouts! It is mostly sport climbing, so it would be easy to just look for some bolts and have a go!

We began our climbing at the second pullout, and hiked in.

Hiking in is half the fun; depending on your destination, you may have to traverse some steep rock or even cross over a bit of water. I would definitely come here for the hiking alone.

 

We went to several sites, but I have to say the Black Corridor is the perfect place to go with a group. It has routes for all skill levels, and some of the most enjoyable around. We met several people there from all over North America.

 Something that is unique about Red Rocks is the freedom to do various types of activities throughout the park. There are a ton of people who go to Red Rocks to just hike and explore. We saw a lot of marathon runners and serious bikers as well.

The only way to drive out of the park is to take the paved, scenic route, which no one can complain about.

 

Access: Follow the 215 to the central west side of Nevada, exit at Charlston Blvd and head West. Keep following this road for about 3.6 miles and on the left you'll see a campground entrance, averaging $15/night for every site. Keep driving West on the same road for about 2 miles and the Red Rocks State Park entrance will be on the right. It is $7 per vehicle. Along the scenic drive, there are several pullouts. The most climbing sites are off of the first three pullouts, but there are hiking trails at all of them.

The Black Corridor: From the second pullout, keep following the trail NE along what looks like the dry bank of an old stream. You have to cross over a boulder right before you actually reach the area, but as long as you continue NE, you should find it.