Red Rock Canyon NCA | Scenic Drive & Timed Entry
Nevada's first National Conservation Area, 17 miles west of the Strip: a 13-mile Scenic Drive with nine stops, rock climbing and timed entry Oct to May.
Congress designated Red Rock Canyon a National Conservation Area in 1990, the first in Nevada and the seventh in the country, formalising protection for an escarpment that sits close enough to the city to be visible from the west side of the valley. Visitation has since passed three million a year, which is why the Scenic Drive now runs on timed entry from October through May. The LEED gold-certified visitor center anchors the entrance with exhibits, a short film and an outdoor display area built to face the cliffs.
Nevada's first National Conservation Area, seventeen miles west of the Strip. The Scenic Drive runs thirteen miles past nine trailheads and overlooks, and from October through May you need a timed-entry reservation to drive it.
Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area west of Las Vegas, reached by Charleston Boulevard, which becomes State Route 159. A timed-entry reservation is required to enter the thirteen-mile Scenic Drive between 8am and 5pm from October 1 through May 31, and is not required June 1 through September 30; walk-in and bicycle visitors are exempt year-round.
At a glance
- Address
- 1000 Scenic Loop Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89161, Las Vegas, NV
- Price range
- $
- Cuisine
- Hiking, Rock Climbing, Scenic Drive, Desert Landscape
Common questions
Do you need a reservation for Red Rock Canyon?
From October 1 through May 31, yes. A timed-entry reservation is required to enter the Scenic Drive between 8am and 5pm. From June 1 through September 30, no reservation is needed. Walk-in and bicycle visitors are exempt year-round.
When does the Scenic Drive open and close?
Gates open at 6am every day. Closing shifts by season: 5pm November through February, 7pm in March and October, and 8pm April through September.
How far is it from the Strip?
Seventeen miles west, via Charleston Boulevard, which becomes State Route 159.
How do the timed-entry reservations release?
Thirty days in advance at 7am Pacific, with a second window two days in advance at the same time. One reservation per private vehicle or motorcycle per day, and re-entry requires a new one.