Off-the-Strip Vegas Vacation: Canyons, Craters and Carvings

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On a recent trip to Las Vegas, we didn’t step foot into the first casino. Well, okay, that’s not quite accurate. It’s very hard not to “step foot” into a casino in Las Vegas. They make up the greater part of the public areas in most Vegas hotels. What I mean is, we didn’t gamble. Not even a little bit. I know, blasphemy. Die-hard card sharks are having heart attacks right now.

The truth is, you really can go to Vegas without hitting the casinos. Between shows, shopping, nearby natural attractions and hotel-hopping, our week was filled up. One of the most memorable parts of the trip was an excursion to Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park. Luckily we had a rental car, so we were good to go. You can also book trips to places like Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon and many others through your hotel. They supply the transportation.

Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is about 20 minutes from the Vegas strip and well worth the drive. There are hiking trails, a Visitor Center and a designated camping area (in other words, you can’t just set up camp anywhere you like). It’s made up of 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert.

You can drive or bike along a 13-mile scenic loop. We chose to drive. There are lots of places to pull over and park at scenic overlooks and trailheads. We saw several climbers scaling boulders and sheer rock faces.

Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire State Park is about an hour from Las Vegas, just south of Overton, Nevada. It was a bit more of a drive, but we were really glad we went. The red rocks were stunning, and can I just say … Petroglyphs!

The park is about 46,000 acres of hiking trails, paved roads, petrified trees, bright red Aztec sandstone and gray and tan limestone. There are two campgrounds and places for picnicking. We chose to drive (as many do). There are a lot of places where you can pull over, park and hike.

I recommend stopping at the Visitor Center, which has exhibits on the geology, ecology and history of the park. The rock exhibits were quite informative. Much of the sandstone is from the Jurassic Period.

Easily the best part of the park for us was the petroglyphs. It was so cool to see those ancient carvings. Many of them are from the Basketmaker culture, dating to about 2,500 years ago, along with the Early Pueblo Culture. There are two spots in the park – Atlatl Rock and along the trail to Mouse’s Tank – where you can see some pretty awesome petroglyphs.

We were feeling adventurous, so we decided to hike to an area called Mouse’s Tank. When I say “adventurous,” don’t be too impressed. It’s about a 1/2 mile round trip from the parking area. Definitely remember to take some water with you, as the Nevada sun gets hot. You’ll be walking past petroglyphs and beautiful red rock formations. When you get back to the car, you’ll want to empty the sand from your shoes. It’s really soft and fine, and it easily found its way through the mesh in my Nikes.

Mouse’s Tank is a natural sandstone basin in the rock where rainwater collects. It’s kind of crazy to think that the water actually accumulates in the rock crevice, but it does. It got the name “Mouse” after a Native American (called Mouse) who used the canyon as a hideout. What he was hiding from … I’m not really sure … but if I wanted to hide without the risk of being found, that’s where I would go.

Interesting fact: They often used the darker colored rock for petroglyphs because the carvings showed up better.

More scenes from Valley of Fire State Park.

Movie buffs will find it interesting to note that Valley of Fire was the site for several movies. Its “Mars-like” environment is the perfect backdrop. Movies filmed at Valley of Fire include:

• Mars scenes in “Total Recall” (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Scenes from Planet Veridian in “Star Trek Generations” (1994) – the Silica Dome is the site of James T. Kirk’s death and burial
• Racing scenes from “Viva Las Vega” (1963) with Elvis Presley