A Weekend of Hiking, not Gambling, in Las Vegas.
An eerily Martian landscape in the Valley of Fire state park.
Beyond the Strip’s neon lights lie stunning, almost extraterrestrial landscapes for you to enjoy a very different Vegas experience.
As we were driving on highway 159, away from Las Vegas, heading towards the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area, it wasn’t obvious that we were leaving the urban area at the center of which sit some of the most iconic resorts in the US.
Around us, housing developments stretched out as far as the eye could see, behind noise-abatement walls, all painted in a shade of sand that blended somewhat harmoniously with the mountainous terrain in the distance.
It was only when we left Sumerlin that we noticed a radical change. After miles and miles of urban sprawl, nature appeared past the city line. There were no more buildings, houses or gas stations. All of a sudden, we had left the suburbs and entered an unspoiled, open area that felt very disconnected from the neon lights of the Strip we had left less than an hour before.
I had decided to join a friend who was in Vegas for a convention. We had both been to Vegas before, and the appeal of one more day playing roulette at a casino wasn’t pulling us as it used to. Instead, we thought we could experience Vegas the way very few tourists do: as a base to explore the gorgeous nature around it.
Mountains in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area.
When you ask people about Vegas, hiking trips aren’t the first thing that comes to mind, and that’s fair. Vegas’ image is centered on its entertainment and all the risqué stuff that comes along with it. In 2003, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released a marketing campaign whose slogan was “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” and the saying has stuck to the city ever since, probably because it’s a apt description of how Sin City is perceived by the public at large.
There is another side to Vegas, however, and that’s the one we felt was worth exploring. The city is actually surrounded by some of the most incredible landscapes in the continental United States. Zion National Park is only over two hours away, for instance. The Grand Canyon, the Mojave National Preserve are also relatively close.
Even closer, sit two areas we honed in as we were plotting our weekend hiking, not gambling, in Vegas. The first one was the Red Rock Canyon National Conversation Area, a national park in all but name, and the other one the Valley of Fire State Park.
About one hour away west of Vegas, the Red Rock Canyon area is home to beautiful sandstone rock formations that, because of a thrust fault, a fracture in the earth’s crust produced by compressional forces similar to the ones moving tectonic plates, feature different layers of colored rocks on top of each other (the most interesting part of this is that the older rocks, made of white sandstone, have been thrown on top of the younger, red sandstone rocks, creating stunning, unexpected scenery).
A view over the Calico Hills from the trail.
I had visited the Northwestern region of Argentina a few weeks before my Vegas trip, and I could’t help but notice similarities in the terrain. It turns out that, just like in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the Red Rock Canyon area was once at the bottom of of a deep ocean, leaving layers of sediments on the ocean floor that would form the sandstone stratums of various colors that make up the park’s mountains.
We got there well within our time slot (the park limits the number of cars getting in during some hours in the high season, see the Practical Information section for details), checked out the very nice visitor center, and quickly went on our way.
You’d be forgiven for thinking you landed on another planet.
The main activity in the park is enjoying the 13-mile, one-way scenic drive loop that goes through the park’s highlights, which you can do in a car, or on a bike. We knew we would enjoy the views from the road, but we were also here to hike.
We trusted AllTrails to pick the best hike for us, and actually picked two we could do as one big one, the Calico Hills to Calico Tanks trail, and the Calico Tanks trail itself (more details below). There were many others to hike on, but we were attracted to these by the length and the promise of a vide view over the Las Vegas basin at the end.
The view over Las Vegas from the top of the Calico Tanks trail.
We started hiking around 11am, mid May, when the Nevada sun can be punishing, and I am not going to sugarcoat it, it was hard at times, especially because there is virtually no shade throughout either trail. The scenery and the view made it all worth it, however. The first hike follows a shallow ridge going along the Calico Hills before getting to the parking lot where the trailhead for the Calico Tanks trail is located (so yes, you can start there directly if you want), and then the fun begins, so to speak.
The Calico Tanks trail was the more difficult part of the day for us. The elevation gain is significant, and most of it happens scrambling over rocks. It’s never perilous but it is no walk in the park either. At the end, the view over Vegas is a really nice treat, and absolutely worth the effort.
We ended our first hiking day completely spent, but happy to have discovered such a gem of a park a stone’s throw from Vegas.
Day two was dedicated to another highly-rated nearby park: the Valley of Fire State Park. Located northwest of the city, it is even easier to get to, thanks to Interstate I-15, yet feels even more remote. Once past Vegas’ northern suburbs, you’re surrounded by open space and with almost no sign of human presence.
The White Domes road meanders through stunning rock formations.
As you get deeper into the terrain leading you to the park entrance, you’d be forgiven for thinking you landed on another planet. We barely encountered any traffic, saw no house or human being until we stopped at the fee station.
We were slightly unprepared for the park (a fact I shouldn't really write about), so we followed the advice of the friendly park ranger who took our $15, and opted to drive all the way through to the end of the park and walk along the White Domes trail. At this time in May, a few days before the park closes most of its popular hikes to ensure visitors’ safety in the scorching heat, we didn’t have the heart to try a longer hike than this one.
Las Vegas is surrounded by some of the most incredible landscapes in the continental United States.
It took us a while to get to the end of the road, however. White Domes road, the main road into the park past the Visitor Center, is called a scenic road for good reason. First, the road passes within a narrow red sandstone gorge that could have been part of a Games of Thrones set. It’s stunning and a little frightening at the same time for the road feels like an access point to another planet.
On the other side, lays the parking lot for the Rainbow Vista trail, and we stopped there to take in the landscape. It was really like nothing I had ever seen before (even Zion National Park, which shares visual similarities with this park, feels more Earth-like).
Landscape at the beginning of the Rainbow Vista trail.
In front of us sat yellow, red and white mountains, forming a barren but beautiful landscape extending far away, as if we had somehow landed on Mars without realizing it.
This wasn’t the end of it, however. Getting back into the car, we continued our way towards the end point, and every mile felt even more stunning than the one before it. Be it the remoteness of the area, the dry, contrasting colors of the mountains around us or the incongruity of a road in the middle of this panorama, it was a sight to behold.
We finally arrived to the White Domes parking lot, and started hiking. The White Domes trail (more details below) is a short loop that goes through white sandstone formations that offer a stark contrast with the red sandstone that made the Valley of Fire famous. The short 40-minute loop goes through ancient rocks shaped by centuries of erosion. My favorite part of the trail was the narrow slot canyon midway, that provided a little respite from the heat and felt super intimate after enjoying wide vistas left and right.
We finished our second day in a slightly better state, after all we had hiked 1.1 miles instead of 8 the day before, but the heat felt even more intense, so the comfort of the air-conditioning in the car felt like a welcome relief at the end of the White Domes loop.
The White Domes road as it passes through a gorge.
Getting back to Vegas was even stranger than leaving it. After enjoying out-of-this-world vistas, the cheesy hotel signs and cacophony of lights felt strange, and almost out of place in the middle of the desert.
I am hoping if you are planning to go to Vegas, you’ll leave space in your itinerary for either of these parks, or even maybe both!
Practical information (updated as of June 2025)
Getting to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
There is no public transportation to the park, so your best bet is to either book a tour or rent a car and explore at your own pace. You can also bike in the park, but beware of the heat index on the day you’re planning to get out there. The entrance booth is about 35 to 45 minutes away by car from the Strip, most of it on wide, toll-free highways.
The entrance fee is $20 per car and the park works with hourly quotas during its peak season, from October to the end of May. This means you have to pay the fee no matter what, but during peak season, you also need to choose a 60-mn time-slot during which you are allowed to enter the park. I would recommend you plan this in advance, especially on weekends, as you don’t want to get to the park only to realize their entry quota is full for the next few hours.
The exception to the fee is for America the Beautiful pass holders, who can get in for free as the Conservation Area is technically a national park. During peak season, pass holders still need to book a time slot (the website offers free time-slots for pass holders, who do not need to pay the $20 fee).
Park hours vary according to the season, from 6am to 5pm in the winter and up to 7pm in the summer. Check current opening times at the bottom of this official page, under “Operating Hours”.
When to go to Red Rock Canyon national Conservation Area
Southern Nevada can be a hostile destination from a weather perspective, with temperatures going above 100° F (38° Celsius) in the summer months. As a result, the best months to visit the park are March, April, October and November, when the temperature is much more comfortable.
That is not to say you can’t visit the park in the summer. We visited in the late Spring, around the middle of May. However, be prepared for a lot of heat with virtually no shade on the trails. It is best to start hiking early, before the heat gets too intense, and to pack enough water and sunscreen.
What to see and do within the Red Rock Canyon Area
The number one activity for travelers involve sightseeing from the air-conditioned comfort of a car. The scenic route in the park goes on a 13-mile loop that affords beautiful views over the landscape. The park is also home to more than twenty open hikes however, and it would be a shame to drive there and not get out of the car to see nature up close.
Being a US national park, tourist infrastructure is well developed, clear and plentiful. A map of the park and of its various hikes can be found here, and the overall website for the park here.
We only had a day for the park, and trusted AllTrails to select the best hike for us. AllTrail’s #1 hike in the park is the Calico Tanks trail, rated moderate, that affords a view over the whole Las Vegas basin and Sin City at the end. Being a 2.4-mile round trip hike, we felt we could supplement it with another one, and chose the Calico Hills to Calico Tanks trail, which, as per its name, leads directly into the Calico Tanks one. We just made one big hike out of two smaller ones. All in all, our two hikes combined were 8+ miles long.
Calico Hills to Calico Tanks trail (5.8 miles round trip, 984-ft elevation, moderate): we started there and dropped the car on a parking lot, equipped with a bathroom. The trail follows a ridge along the beautiful Calico Hills, massive red rock formations where you might see outdoor roped climbers slowly ascending. The red-hued rock formations and the vibrant green of the vegetation makes for a stunning contrast as you walk. The hike itself is mostly flat as you ascend very gradually through the ridge, with a few steeper areas. Your main danger here will be dehydration. The sun can be scorching and there is no shade on the trail, so come prepared. The trail took us about one hour one-way.
Calico Tanks trail (2.4 miles round trip, 439-ft elevation, moderate to difficult): once we got to the trailhead, after hiking the Calico Hills trail above, we breathed a sigh of relief. The first couple hundred yards on this second trail track a dry riverbed, surrounded by trees with ample shade. However, this doesn’t last long, and soon enough you’ll be climbing rocks and praying for them not to be too slippery. The climb is arduous at times, and although AllTrails labels this a moderate hike, I would say it’s clearly one of these at the top of the category. I would be close to slapping the “hard hike” label on it for how treacherous some parts of it are. In any case, I would recommend hiking shoes for this (which weren’t necessary for the previous hike). That being said, the end point, an ultra-wide view over the Las Vegas basin, with the city glimmering in the distance, is absolutely worth the effort. You’re close enough to see landmarks like the Strat (formerly The Stratosphere) observation tower or the distinctive Luxor hotel at the other end of the Strip.
There are a few other notable trails I can’t wait to hike on the next time I am in Vegas, and a good summary of the best ones can be found here, courtesy of AllTrails.
Getting to Valley of Fire State Park
The entrance of the park, coming from Las Vegas, is located about 50 miles northwest of the Strip. While you can book a tour to get there, I would recommend getting a rental car and going at your own pace. Driving to the park is fairly straightforward with most of the route using Interstate I-15 and the last 14 miles on the Valley of Fire Highway, a two-lane road that has seen better days, but is overall fine to travel on.
The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset. The entrance fee for non-Nevada vehicles is $15 but unlike the Red Rock Canyon park, there are no timed-entry slots at any point during the year.
Some trails are, however, closed to the public between May 15 and September 30, to avoid dangerous heat conditions (the park has had its share of incidents, even fatalities over the past few years, hence the restrictions).
When to go to Valley of Fire State Park
This is going to sound familiar: avoid the heat of the summer months - many trails are closed at that time anyway. It is best to visit the park between October to April, with October and February the most optimal months weather-wise.
What to see and do within the Valley of Fire state park
The easiest thing to do in the park is to enjoy the incredible view from the comfort of your own car. The White Domes road, the only main road into the park once you pass the visitor center, goes through amazing, alien-like landscapes and goes through a narrow ridge within red mountains around Mouse’s Tank road, which is worth the trip in itself.
Beyond that, the road meanders through more open terrain, with stunning red and yellowish rock formations dotting the landscape, all the way to its dead-end point, at the White Domes parking lot. On the way, you can stop at various official parking areas, including the one by Rainbow Vista, which I would recommend checking out if there is only one stop you make on that road. All trails and car parks are shown on the official park map here.
As for hikes, and provided you visit the park outside of the May 15 - September 30 when some of them are closed, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Because we actually visited on May 11, just a few days before the closure, the heat was already so intense we didn’t dare do AllTrails’ best rated hike in the park, the Fire Wave and Seven Wonders Loop, which I want to do one day. We instead picked the shorter but no less impressive White Domes trail.
The White Domes trail (1.1 mile, loop trail, 177-ft elevation, easy): one of the marquee trails (and still AllTrails’ #4 best trail in the park), we picked this one for its shorter length, its beautiful scenery and the fact there would be a little shade in the narrow canyon towards the middle of the hike. We traveled through white sandstone formations, so different from the prominent red sandstone you see throughout the park, and it was a cool, intimate way to experience the park (we saw 3 people on the hike, although we did it on a Sunday).
There are many more trails to explore, and you can pick from the official park’s trail map, or AllTrails’ best trails list.
Safety
Overall, Nevada is a fairly safe state, and hiking around Las Vegas, your number one concern will be the heat. Even in the winter, the UV index can be high.
Protect yourself with strong SPF (again, even in winter) and bring enough water on hikes to prevent dehydration. Make sure your cellphone is fully charged before going hiking and, if possible, download maps of the area you’re visiting in advance so that you can find your way back without service if you get lost.
Avoid leaving valuables in your car whenever you’re hiking, not just because they may tempt a thief (although this happens, it is unusual in the parks given the access fee and the frequent park rangers patrolling) but because they may get damaged by the heat in the car itself.
If you’re staying in Las Vegas proper, exert caution, especially on the Strip, where crowds can get rowdy in the evening and at night, and make sure to scrupulously respect the pedestrian light signals when crossing a road (and even then, pay attention to traffic).
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