We're coming to Las Vegas in September for a wedding, and since it won't be so godawful hot, we thought we might take an afternoon excursion into some surrounding desert. Are there any good trails within a half-hour of the Strip that won't be particularly crowded and might have a little shade and running water?
Calico Basin is a great place for an afternoon hike in the sunshine and fresh air, though depending on when in September you'll be here, it can still be bloody hot (the average high for the month is 95 degrees).
Heading west on Charleston Boulevard, 15 miles from the city is the turnoff (right) to Calico Basin, a couple miles this side of the entrance to Red Rock Canyon. It's on the cooler shaded side of the sandstone-limestone formations in the afternoon.
One thing we always find interesting about Calico Basin is that people live there; many of the houses date from way before this was a recreation area, while others are new (and huge). You can zig and zag through the neighborhood if you like, then turn around and park in the big lot at Red Spring.
Water percolates out from the base of the sandstone hills into Calico Basin from Red, Calico, and Ash springs. The water creates this oasis, a habitat for lizards, rabbits, desert tortoises, and bighorn sheep (though you’ll be lucky to see any of them or even much water after the long hot summer), along with a number of bird species. Trees include ash, cottonwood, shrub live oak, and honey mesquite; saltgrass covers the meadows.
A half-mile boardwalk protects the riparian environment and provides the easiest hiking you could hope for, complete with benches, interpretive signs, petroglyphs, and, on occasion, photographers shooting engaged couples and quinceañera girls, all decked out in fineries.
For a little more of a workout, pick up the Calico Basin Loop trail on the right side of the Red Spring parking lot. It’s four miles up and back with a 1,000-foot elevation gain; it’s fairly easy to follow, though not the kind of wide gravel trail that most urban hikers might be used to. It has flats, scrambles, some bouldering, some steep hiking, and a downhill finish (if you start left and finish right). Aggressive hikers can do the whole loop in three hours or so.
Otherwise, you can stroll the boardwalk and sit in the well-developed picnic area, complete with barbecues, for a peaceful diversion where you’ll feel far from the bright lights and buffets of Vegas.
And unlike the BLM’s National Conservation Area ($7) and Spring Mountain Ranch State Park ($9) farther west on Blue Diamond Road, the entire Calico Basin facility is free of charge.
For those interested in the more difficult Calico hikes, five of them are mapped out in our book Hiking Las Vegas.
