Spending the majority of this past month within an hour of the famous Las Vegas strip pushed the boundaries beyond the concrete jungle to which my experience and imagination had limited Las Vegas.  Our two weeks of lake-view parking at the Lake Mead RV Village inside of the National Recreation Area began our month.  We spent most of our time in the area appreciating nature from the view out of our windows to the hikes and bike rides we took.

When we moved (about a 40-minute drive) to be closer to the strip where we planned to attend a wedding during the week, I assumed that we would be trading in nature for concrete.  Wrong again!  In our new location at the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort, we were only twenty minutes from both the Strip and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Located just west of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon lies within the Mojave Desert.  The now-familiar landscape includes Joshua trees and other cacti as expected with the Mojave, but the sandstone escarpment makes this a magical place.  With lots of places to hike, bike ride, and rock climb, I had planned a couple of short walks for us, including one to see petroglyphs for the first time.

Unfortunately, we had rain during the day of our visit there.  As such, we opted just to drive the 13-mile one-way scenic drive.  With many viewing areas to stop at and to admire the breathtaking scenery, we still saw a lot.

The rain didn’t stop everyone from hiking.  And, in fact, it may have been the draw for some people looking to see waterfalls.  We saw water pouring from the side of one canyon wall, but struggled to get a picture as we were driving.

We will need to return to Red Rock Canyon again sometime to see it on a clear day, but it certainly is worth a visit if you are in Las Vegas.

Looking back, I had a glimpse of the natural beauty surrounding Las Vegas when we boondocked in Overton, Nevada, about an hour outside of the Strip, on our way to Las Vegas in October.  But arriving in the area from Utah, it seemed more of a continuation of that experience than it seemed to belong to Las Vegas. 

Now, I know that Las Vegas isn’t all concrete, slot machines, and craps tables.  Within easy reach of Las Vegas’ Strip, there are many natural spots to enjoy.

• 20 minutes – Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
• 40 minutes – Lake Mead National Recreation Area
• 60 minutes – Valley of Fire State Park

And something tells me that there is so much more.  While we have moved on from the area, for now, we are looking forward to continuing our area adventures at Valley of Fire State Park this spring.