Located about 15 miles west of the Las Vegas strip, Red Rock Canyon is always an iteresting day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Run by the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association it features a 13 mile one way scenic loop that takes you through a natural wonderland that highlights both natural and manmade features that are well worth the time to explore. There are several parking lots and turnouts that all have hiking trails that criss cross this beautiful park.

To learn more go to: The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Associations web site

One of the amazing views along the 13 mile scenic drive.

Take the day and explore the hiking trails at any of the many turnouts and parking lots.

The rocks in this park provide many climbing opportunities for any skill level.

Remember to always watch for snakes, this is the desert.

As you hike through this area pay close attention to the rocks along the trails, they contain many signs of human occupation going back many thousands of years as with these petroglyphs.

Remember that these works of ancient art are an important part of our collective history so have some respect and do not touch.

 
Another interesting feature of this area is the wild Horses and Burros you might catch a glimpse of. Every few years or so the Bureau of Land Management has a round up of these animals to keep the population in check. Please pay attention to the signs and do not feed these animals.
After spending the morning driving and hiking around the Interpretive center it was time for lunch. The park does not allow drone filghts but it is a small part of this beautiful range of mountains. As you leave the scenic loop and head back out on highway 159 you will come to a place called Bonnie Springs and is an interesting place to get lunch. It has a motel, restaurant, rodeo facilities and also things for the kids like an old time western town that they convert into a haunted village at halloween time, a petting zoo and a mini train ride. It serves a good lunch and is well worth the time to stop.
  We took the time to take a quick drone flight outside of Bonnie Springs. I utilized the drone autonomous flight features and in spite of a minor glitch it came out great. The beauty of this area is fantastic.
The Las Vegas area has much more to offer than just gambling as this beautiful area illustrates nicely. Red Rock Canyon is one of those and it is well worth your time to spend an afternoon exploring this wonderful place.