Calico Hills II Trail - Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
N 36° 08.771 W 115° 25.844
11S E 641178 N 4001303
The Calico Hills II Trail runs along the base of the Calico Rocks from Calico Basin to Sandstone Quarry in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area located about 17 miles west of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Waymark Code: WM3J2R
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 04/10/2008
Views: 90
This is classified as a moderate hiking trail. It has a one-way distance of 1 mile and offers beautiful views of the red sandstone formations, surrounding mountains, and the wonderful Mojave Desert. We saw numerous mountain climbers while we were there.
From the
Red Rock Canyon NCA website: "Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada's first National Conservation Area. Red Rock Canyon is located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Boulevard/State Route 159. The area is 195,819 acres and is visited by more than one million people each year. In marked contrast to a town geared to entertainment and gaming, Red Rock Canyon offers enticements of a different nature including a 13-mile scenic drive, more than 30 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, and visitor center with exhibit rooms and a book store. The unique geologic features, plants and animals of Red Rock Canyon NCA represent some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert. In 1990, special legislation supported by the Nevada congressional delegation, changed the status of the Red Rock Recreation Lands to a National Conservation Area (NCA), the seventh to be designated nationally.
"The unique geologic features, plants and animals of Red Rock Canyon NCA represent some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert. In 1990, special legislation supported by the Nevada congressional delegation, changed the status of the Red Rock Recreation Lands to a National Conservation Area (NCA), the seventh to be designated nationally. This legislation provides the funding to protect and improve the area. Red Rock Canyon NCA is enjoyed by the local population as well as visitors from the United States and many foreign countries. One million visitors each year enjoy the spectacular desert landscape, climbing and hiking opportunities, and interpretive programs sponsored by the BLM."
From the
Sunset Cities website: "'Red Rock' as it is known to the locals in Las Vegas, gets its name from the red colored sandstone formations found throughout this small valley. The layers red sandstone in the mountains that surround Red Rock Canyon can be seen from almost anywhere in Las Vegas. While the tops of the peaks are visible from the Las Vegas Valley, much of Red Rock Canyon is nestled below them and out of sight from the Ice Box Canyon city of Las Vegas. The red sandstone that makes Red Rock so distinctive, and red, is part of the same geologic formation, the Navaho Formation, found in the Valley of Fire, Zion National Park and throughout parts of the Southwest United States and Southern Nevada. The contrast of red sandstone layered through gray limestone is impressive against the tall sheer cliff faces of - as high as - 600 meters or about 1,800 feet. The layout of the valley that Red Rock is in, its mountains, cliffs and hills show a typical Great Basin north-south orientation."