Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
State Highway 159
Las Vegas, Nevada

I am not a nature lover. At best, I am apathetic towards outdoor activities. At worse, I feel contempt for them. As a kid, I longed for days of indoor recess and dreaded picnics on family road trips. I loathed annual treks to camp with my classmates and was the only fourteen-year-old to voluntarily skip the ninth grade camping trip. (I was, I feel the need to add, completely happy at home with my books. So much so that I don’t think I even asked my friends how the trip went…!) The funny thing is, I do love to be outside, especially on sunny days. But I’m much happier to be outside in the city.

It’s important to get out of your comfort zone once in a while, though. Especially when you have a car and can control how long you stay outside of it. So when we were in Las Vegas last year, I went for it. After our early morning trip to Seven Magic Mountains, we drove on to Red Rock Canyon National Conversation Area. (And, admittedly, a bit past it; the entrance is not well marked if you don’t know where you’re going!) Rocky red hills are the eponymous trademark of Red Rock Canyon, of course, but there are a remarkable number of different desert landscapes to see during your visit, even if you stick to the scenic drive like we did, skipping all of the hiking trails entirely.

When we first landed in Las Vegas, it was the desert landscape that intrigued me, not the cluster of hotels that rises up in the centre of it. Visiting Red Rock Canyon allowed me to get up close to it – and escape the endless barrage of invitations to spend my savings in all of the designer shops along the Strip, too.