Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 11 . SIDE TRIPS FROM LAS VEGAS
should leave you enough time for an afternoon’s gambling). You can drive the
panoramic 13-mile Scenic Drive (open daily 7am–dusk) or explore it in more
depth on foot, making it perfect for both athletes and armchair types. There are
many interesting sights and trail heads along the drive itself. The wider National
Conservation Area offers hiking trails and internationally acclaimed rockclimbing
opportunities. Especially notable is 7,068-foot Mount Wilson, the
highest sandstone peak among the bluffs; for information on climbing, contact
the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center at & 702/363-1921. There are picnic
areas along the drive and in nearby Spring Mountain Ranch State Park,
5 miles south, which also offers plays in an outdoor theater during the summer.
Since Bonnie Springs Ranch (see the next section) is just a few miles away, it
makes a great base for exploring Red Rock Canyon.
GETTING THERE
Just drive west on Charleston Boulevard, which becomes Nev. 159. As soon as you
leave the city, the red rocks will begin to loom around you. The visitor center will
appear on your right.
You can also go on an organized tour. Coach USA (& 800/828-6699;
www.coachusa.com), among other companies, runs bus tours to Red Rock
Canyon. Inquire at your hotel tour desk.
Finally, you can go by bike. Not very far out of town (at Rainbow Blvd.),
Charleston Boulevard is flanked by a bike path that continues for about 11 miles
to the visitor center/scenic drive. The path is hilly but not difficult if you’re in
reasonable shape. However, exploring Red Rock Canyon by bike should be
attempted only by exceptionally fit and experienced bikers.
Just off Nev. 159, you’ll see the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center (& 702/
363-1921; www.redrockcanyon.blm.gov), which marks the actual entrance to
the park. There, you can pick up information on trails and view history exhibits
on the canyon. The center is open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Red Rock
Canyon can be combined with a visit to Bonnie Springs Ranch.
ABOUT RED ROCK CANYON
The geological history of these ancient stones goes back some 600 million years.
Over eons, the forces of nature have formed Red Rock’s sandstone monoliths into
arches, natural bridges, and massive sculptures painted in a stunning palette of
gray-white limestone and dolomite, black mineral deposits, and oxidized minerals
in earth-toned sienna hues ranging from pink to crimson and burgundy.
Orange and green lichens add further contrast, as do spring-fed areas of lush
foliage. And formations like Calico Hill are brilliantly white where groundwater
has leached out oxidized iron. Cliffs cut by deep canyons tower 2,000 feet above
the valley floor.
During most of its history, Red Rock Canyon was below a warm, shallow sea.
Massive fault action and volcanic eruptions caused this seabed to begin rising
some 225 million years ago. As the waters receded, sea creatures died and the
calcium in their bodies combined with sea minerals to form limestone cliffs
studded with ancient fossils. Some 45 million years later, the region was buried
beneath thousands of feet of windblown sand. The landscape was as arid as the
Sahara. As time progressed, iron oxide and calcium carbonate infiltrated the
sand, consolidating it into cross-bedded rock.
Shallow streams began carving the Red Rock landscape, and logs that washed
down from ancient highland forests fossilized, their molecules gradually replaced
by quartz and other minerals. These petrified stone logs, which the Paiute Indians