Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center

I’ve been to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Las Vegas before, but this past April was the first time I’ve been to the visitor center. Red Rock is situated west of downtown Las Vegas, a 17-mile straight shot on Charleston Boulevard from Las Vegas Boulevard.

You’ll drive past Summerlin, then as the housing becomes sparse, find yourself heading up into the mountains. Look for a sign saying “Red Rock Scenic Drive” on the right, with a low-level building in the short distance. That’s the visitor center.

It’ll set you back $7 to get into the conservation area, but that entitles you to take a 13-mile scenic drive through geologic formations that took 65 million years to create (give or take a century or so … that's silly of me, huh?). It also gets you into the visitor center where you’ll learn all about how the canyon and the spectacular red rock formation was created.

We didn’t get to take the scenic drive this trip, but I’ll make sure to do that another time (we were kind of in a rush, unfortunately). We did wander around the displays and exhibits at the visitor center, however, bringing back a plethora of pictures for our album of memories. I was particularly interested in the wildlife displays.

Here are a few to tickle your interest: 

The Air Pavilion

The Fire Pavilion

Golden Eagle

Great Horned Owl

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

Desert Tarantula

Picnic Area
(Click on picture for larger panoramic view)