|
||
|
Leaving Las Vegas by Theresa A. Husarik | ||
 | ||
|
What's a nature lover to do when he finds himself amidst the glitz of a city that never sleeps?
I'm not much of a city person. My idea of great night life is finding constellations in the night sky or gazing at a moon-lit landscape listening to the screech owls and other nocturnal critters going about their business. So when I recently found myself with a few days in Las Vegas, I asked around for information on hiking areas nearby. What I found was a most pleasant surprise. This gambling mecca actually has quite a lot to offer nature lovers in the form of a few wonderful day trips, all within a 2 ½ hour's drive: Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area A mere ½ hour's drive away is the Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area, a Bureau of Land Management maintained area covering 83,100 acres of red rock desert terrain. It is the 7th area nationally to be designated a National Conservation Area. There is a visitor's center which offers interpretive programs free to visitors at various times throughout the day. The 13-mile one-way paved road through the area (open 7AM to dusk) allows access to several short, mostly level hikes ranging from 2 to 14 miles round trip. Backpacking is permitted (you must obtain a free permit from the visitor's center), and there is a primitive, first-come-first-served campground for car camping. It is also a popular place for bicycling and climbing enthusiasts. Like other desert areas, there is a lot more to see than the grand scale would imply. Wildflowers blossom from February (when the Joshua trees are in bloom) through June, and brightly colored lichen can be found decorating the rocks at any time of the year. Small creatures such as lizards, frogs and snakes make their homes in the nooks and crannies, and petroglyphs can be spotted on some of the walls. If you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the wild burros who inhabit the area. Valley of Fire State Park This park is about 50 miles from Vegas and is about a 1 hour drive. There is no one manning the toll booth, but a signs asks that you pay a $3.00 entrance fee and have the stub from the envelope visible in your car when you are out hiking. These fees go toward maintaining this beautiful park, so be sure to contribute. It is well worth it! The "Valley of Fire" is an appropriate name as there are magnificent orange-red's unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. There are many interesting features in this uncrowded scenic wonder, too many to fully explore everything in one day, but you can still see quite a bit if one day is all you have to spend. The "Scenic Loop road", a 2 - mile one way road goes through the park's most concentrated area of the rock formations. "Atlatl Rock" (an atlatl is a notched stick used to add speed and distance to a thrown spear) is an attraction on this road which has some pretty good petroglyphs. Drive down to the "White Domes" and "Silica Domes" areas consisting of vast expanses of white and red sandstone formations which are fun to see and walk around. At one of the picnic areas, you'll be able to see and walk into sandstone "Cabins" which were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's as a shelter for visitors. Just beyond the park to the east is Lake Mead which is visible from the top of the "Elephant Rock" trail. The native flora and fauna include cholla cactus, coyote, desert tortoise, lizards and snakes, ravens, road runner, and spotted skunk. Hoover Dam Although this isn't technically a nature lover's destination, it is an interesting and fun place to see. It is about a 1 ½ hour drive from the city. The $4.00 tour takes you down into the workings of the dam, and you will learn all about its history and construction. As our guide began the tour he said, "I'm your dam guide and you can take all the dam pictures you want." (I bet saying that is the highlight of his day!) It is 726.4 feet high, 45 feet thick at the top, 660 feet thick at the bottom, and contains 3 1/4 million cubic yards of concrete. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1935 - 2 years ahead of schedule. It was the brainchild of Herbert Hoover (for whom it was named) who was Secretary of Commerce at the time. Lake Mead, which was created by the building of the dam, is America's largest man-made reservoir, covering 157,900 acres and is 500 feet at its deepest point. "Hoover Dam changed the Colorado River from a natural menace to a natural resource," says the tour guide. Each year before the dam was built, the Colorado River, swelled by snow runoff, flooded low-lying lands along it's route wreaking havoc. Now, these waters are controlled and stored for multiple benefits, such as hydroelectric power generation, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. The rocky hills outside of the dam are a home to some very tame chipmunks and a herd of Desert Bighorn sheep. So I guess it is a wildlife-lover's place after all! Death Valley National Monument I always thought Death Valley was a desolate, excessively hot desert with little of interest to see. Even its name conjures up images of vultures perched on a carcass with heat waves swallowing the horizon. I should have known better having lived in Utah, and having spent a lot of time in Utah's desert. Desolate, yes. Uninteresting, oh no. Some facts about Death Valley: it is more than 100 miles long; its high point is Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet; and low point is Badwater, a white salt flat at 282 feet below sea level; the oldest rocks are 1.8 billion years old; and the hottest recorded temperature was 134oF on July 10, 1913. Though starkly beautiful, it is called the "Badlands" because of its rugged appearance. You can reach this beautiful desert in about 2 ½ hours. One of the popular stops is the "Sand Dunes". These are white rippled dunes with the "Grapevine Mountains" in the background. There is also "Artists Drive", a one-way, aptly named scenic road. Though the sky was mostly overcast the day I was there, the sun peeked out every now and then. I saw a shaft of sunlight coming through the clouds over "Badwater" that looked like Hollywood's rendition of what happens just before an angel comes down to earth. The colorful hills of the "Artist's Palette", and the dried, cracked mud were among the many interesting treasures along this road. "Zabriskie Point" is another colorful place. The lighter colors - tan, yellow, and brown are the result of iron minerals exposed to air. The dark colors - grey-green to dark grey are volcanic ash. I got to "Dante's View" just before sundown. The sign said the elevation was 5475 feet. From this spot, one can see the lowest and highest points in the park: "Badwater" - the salt flat directly below, and "Telescope Peak" across the valley. I watched the sun peeking through the clouds as it went down for the night. A spectacular end to a glorious day, this natural light show was better than anything going on back in town! So, leave the crowds and the neon behind for a little while and explore some of what nature has to offer. You'll be soothed by the chirping of the crickets instead of frazzled by the squawking of motor vehicle horns, and lulled by the colorful rocks and sunsets instead of the sometimes headache-inducing neon signs. And, since there are no one-armed bandits in the desert, you won't loose your shirt. |
|
| |
| Back to On the Road | Wild Things Photography HOME |