Las Vegas Loves Snow

This past Tuesday morning, the city woke up and discovered a thin layer of snow covering the western side of the valley.

View From the Red Rock Canyon Overlook Trail On January 26

On the west side of Las Vegas near Red Rock Canyon, we get snow flurries pretty much every year. The only question is whether or not it sticks in any quantity for any length of time. After a couple of decades, I have become inured to the charms of snow. When I woke up a little before 8 a.m. on Tuesday and saw my neighbors’ roofs covered in snow, my first thought was, “Thank God I don’t have to drive in that,” and then I got back in bed.

The rest of the city lost its mind for the morning, with photos of snow-covered Las Vegas scenes flooding social media.

By the time I decided to drive up to Red Rock, the snow in my neighborhood was pretty much gone, except for a few stubborn clumps.

It was obvious as I headed toward the Red Rock Overlook that I wasn’t the only one who thought a visit to Red Rock was a good idea.

Highway 159 near the Red Rock Overlook, crowded with people seeking snow

At various points along the sides of Highway 159, people were playing in a skimpy layer of snow covering the desert. I mean, there are still pointy things growing there. It just seemed odd. I saw one man throwing “snowballs” that looked to be about the size of meatballs. Small meatballs. Typically, when I think of snow play, I think of Mt. Charleston, which has like a bazillion inches of snow to play on. (OK, slight exaggeration – but you get the idea. It’s a mountain, where snow belongs.)

Snow on Joshua Trees

There was a line of cars coming out of Calico Basin. There was a line of cars to get in the Loop (which requires reservations these days, if you haven’t heard). The Overlook was crowded, but I was able to find a parking spot on my second pass around the parking lot.

This was once a snowman. Trust me, I was there.

The atmosphere at the Overlook was festive. People were wandering about both on and off trail. One man was flying his drone. Photographers were there in abundance with their big cameras and tripods. Lots of dogs were out, delightedly exploring the mud and patchy snow.

The photographers were out in full force, and with good reason - snowy Red Rock is beautiful

The sun tried breaking through while I was on the Overlook trail, briefly shining on the top of Blue Diamond Hill (right on the area where developers keep trying to build a massive housing project).

Some people think this is a great place to put a housing development. A whole lot of us disagree.

Heading home, I passed the line of cars waiting to get into the Loop and noted (with only slight alarm) a photographer who decided to squat in the middle of the highway to get what I presume must have been a shot worthy of the risk.

Back at home, the icy tidbits of snow left around the neighborhood were still hanging on. I took note and headed inside, glad again that I live in a place where snow is more of a novelty than a regular occurrence.

Did you see the snow on Tuesday? Judging from the weather forecast, we’ll have some additional mountain snow over the weekend.

All photos by Terrisa Meeks

What You’ll Find at the Red Rock Canyon Campground

If you’re thinking of doing some desert camping, Red Rock’s only campground is open from September through May.

Head west on Charleston Boulevard and not far past the gun range and the “Red Rock Canyon” sign (and the ever-advancing edge of Summerlin), you’ll find Moenkopi Road on your left. Follow the road and you’ll wind up at the Red Rock Canyon Campground, the only developed campground in the area.

Tent camping area at Red Rock Canyon Campground

The campground covers a substantial area and includes group sites, individual sites, and RV spaces. As of the date of this post, COVID-19 restrictions limit the size of group campsites to 20 people and half the outhouses are closed. 

RV camping area at Red Rock Canyon Campground

The day the hubby and I drove out to scope out the campground it was about 95F, still a bit on the warm side for desert camping, at least for me. 

While many spaces have shade structures, there are no trees of any kind. Personally, I’d recommend waiting until it’s a bit cooler before you pitch a tent here. Due to the campground’s proximity to Las Vegas, I understand it tends to fill up quickly.

The road from the RV area back to the tent camping sites

If you’re camping at Red Rock, I’d bet you’re planning to get out and do some hiking along the Scenic Loop, so be forewarned: starting in November this year, reservations will be required to reduce crowding (which has become quite pronounced in recent years). According to the press release from the BLM, the reservation system for timed entry will be in effect through the end of May.

While the Red Rock Campground is the only campground near Red Rock Canyon NCA, developed campgrounds are also located at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mt. Charleston, and Valley of Fire State Park. Be sure to check ahead to find out what restrictions may be in place.

Are you planning to go camping soon, or did you get out during the summer? Leave a comment about your favorite camping near Las Vegas. 

All photos by Terrisa Meeks

Hiking in Las Vegas: Kraft Mountain Loop

Last year was a great hiking year for me, and one of the best hikes I did was the Kraft Mountain Loop in Calico Basin. 

This year I've spent more time at my desk than on the trail, sad to say. I'd almost forgotten about this trail until I found these pictures when I was cleaning out my phone's storage. 

As it turned out, my hiking partner and I did the trail going up the wash as opposed to going down it. This is the more difficult way to go, as I discovered when a woman stopped us at Pink Goblin Pass and asked me how I’d gotten up the wash. Honestly, at a couple of points, I didn’t think I was going to make it, so I highly recommend hiking the trail in the recommended direction, which is down the wash—starting at the Sandstone Road Trailhead.

Here are some pics I shot that day. It was just a little overcast, perfect for keeping cool while hiking. If you stick to the trail as intended it’s a 3.25 mile loop, although we probably hiked closer to four miles since we parked near the intersection of Calico Basin Road and Charleston/ Highway 159.

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All pictures by Terrisa Meeks

The Cottonwood Station Eatery & Other Vegas Restaurants

Today’s update to Vegas Girl’s restaurant listing includes a new cafe in Blue Diamond, plus other restaurants in the western part of the Las Vegas valley.

I almost hate to write about Cottonwood Station Eatery in Blue Diamond, not because anything was amiss, but because I don’t want this rural gem ruined by too many visitors. Chances are I’m too late to save this charming cafe from the ravages of popularity, however,  especially since the waitress told me Mothers’ Day was crazy for the little restaurant. (I bet they’ll be overflowing when Super Summer Theater gets going for the season at nearby Spring Mountain Ranch.)

My son and I drove out to Cottonwood Station on a weekday morning, when only a handful of people were there. The interior design is a nice mix of eccentric elements and a clean, modern style. I loved the finished particle board tables.

  

I had a breakfast sandwich, my son had a sausage roll, and we both had coffee. For dessert we split a coffee cake muffin, which I had no chance to photograph before we devoured it. I also had no opportunity to take a picture of my son’s food before he ate it. Everything was quite tasty.

I loved everything about Cottonwood Station. The drive through Red Rock to the cafe was beautiful. The food and coffee were yummy, the service was friendly and efficient, and I was able to stroll around Blue Diamond snapping pictures, something that generally arouses suspicion... unless there’s a fancy new cafe in town attracting city people like myself.

Blue Diamond is home to less than 300 people and its small-town ambiance is as genuine as it gets. Unfortunately, the threat of development on top of Blue Diamond Hill continues to loom as a possibility. The two-lane lifestyle may be on a count-down here. 

I suggest you visit the Cottonwood Station now, before all the other people find out about it.

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The Cottonwood Station is just one of four additions to the Vegas Girl’s Restaurant List in my latest update. I also recommend Salud, Buldogis, The Martini and Khoury’s Mediterranean.

Feel free to leave suggestions for restaurants I should check out in the comments!

The Quintessential Las Vegas Picture

I was asked for photos that capture the “most quintessential Vegas moment you will never forget,” by #CapturingVegas.

Now, that’s a tough question since I was born and raised here.

So I thought about what I, a native Las Vegan who writes and blogs and photographs all kinds of Vegasy things, sees as a photograph that captures the essence of Las Vegas.

First, I considered the Las Vegas Strip.

Here’s the thing I noticed about my recent photographs of the Strip: they all have that slightly off-the-beaten path, behind-the-scenes view point. That’s partly because I was working on a series of photos from parking garage rooftops  (which tends to attract security guards, by the way), but I think it’s also reflective of how many residents see the Strip. It’s fun and glamorous, but living in any exciting city (San Diego, New York, etc.)  is far different than vacationing there.

People often ask me why I stayed in Las Vegas, instead of moving away as so many people do. We have one of the lowest percentages of native-born residents of any city.

Two things kept me here: family and my love of the desert.

Only about 15% of tourists ever make it beyond the Strip, which is a shame. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, zip lining, golf, and easy access to the stunning beauty through the Southwest—Red Rock, Zion, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Lake Mead—are right here in our backyard.

I love a great meal, a show, and taking in everything the Strip has to offer. But for me, the amazing wonders around the city are what captures Vegas.

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All pictures by Terrisa Meeks. Check out my other photos on flickr — including more of my photos of Red Rock. And check out #CapturingVegas on Vegas.com's Twitter and Pinterest pages for other pictures of Las Vegas.

A Cold, Windy Hike to the Top of the Hill

Last Friday, my hiking buddy (and son) informed me that he wanted to climb a hill.

The cairn on the way to the top of the hill

On Sunday morning I asked him if he still wanted to go. “It’s cold and windy,” I told him.

“I don’t care,” he said.

If you’re a hiker, you can probably relate.

I suited up with a hat, a thick hoodie, and ChapStick, and toughed out the cold, 20 m.p.h. wind. I don’t know how long it took us to climb the hill, which I’d guess is about 300 feet high. From the top we had a great view of Red Rock and the Strip. 

The view from the top of the hill is always worth it, don’t you think? 

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All pictures by me, Terrisa Meeks

Off the Red Rock Loop - Calico Basin

A place with a boardwalk over a delicate meadow, a big picnic area, and desert trails.

For our hike last Sunday, Gigi and I went to Calico Basin.

First, we tootled around the boardwalk, which was full of families, late-blooming plants (thank you, rain), bees, dragonflies, and birds.

Next, we took the desert trail to the top of the small hill overlooking the parking lot.

It was a beautiful morning with not a touch of fall, just the thought of cooler days to come. Can’t wait.

Been out to Red Rock lately?

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All pictures by Terrisa Meeks

The First Hike of Fall

Last weekend the temps dropped to the 80° range in Las Vegas, perfect weather for carpe-ing the diem and heading to Red Rock for a hike with my dog.

It was actually more a “nature walk” than a “hike” since I didn’t even have to put socks on, but I think it counts as a hike any time the possibility exists, even remotely, that you might fall off a cliff.

One thing you’ll notice that’s absent from my pictures: hordes of people. I love the Red Rock Loop and Calico Basin, but both are loaded with people on the weekends. My objective, when hiking/nature walking, is to get away from people, which is why I headed to the trail just outside of 13 Mile Campground.

The ground was covered in tiny flowers, and the clouds were low.

My hiking buddy, Gigi, impatiently tolerated me snapping pictures. I knew it was time to put away the camera when she started whining to tell me, “Stop taking pictures and come on!”

Naturally, she was right. The desert is so beautiful that I have a hard time not photographing it, but its true beauty can only be experienced, not captured.

This hiking season, I plan to do more trails outside The Loop. Anyone have any favorite off-the-Loop trails?

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All pictures by Terrisa Meeks

Hiking in Las Vegas: The Countdown to Summer

If you love hiking at Red Rock like I do, you probably know that the time to enjoy mild temperatures is rapidly coming to a close. The searing temperatures of summer will be here soon.

I’m determined to take advantage of every bit of spring before Nature turns the broiler on, so this past weekend I got out for hikes on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday: A Great View

On Saturday, I took the team (my son and our dog) to a trail near 13 Mile Campground (also known as Red Rock Campground). We’d decided to climb a small hill there (about 200 feet, according to the topo map, although I thought it looked higher than that). Saturday was cool and windy, which we were glad for not long after we set out.

The trail starts at an abused patch of desert filled with uprooted yuccas and dog droppings, but beyond that the trail leads uphill and into the desert. The land gradually gains altitude with three hills that gently increase in height. At the crest of the first hill, there’s a great view of Red Rock’s cliffs and Calico Basin.

Atop the second hill, a four-foot rock cairn greets you.

And at the very top—which is composed of volcanic rock (in sharp contrast to the sandstone found throughout Red Rock)—the Strip rises far to the east, the massive buildings tiny in the distance.

When we got back to the car (two hours later), Gigi, our dog, was worn out. She climbed in the backseat and laid down without waiting for water. The look on her face was plain: “That was great, but I’m bushed. Bring the water to me.” (She’s kind of a princess.) She gulped down three bowlfuls, then belched and went to sleep. Ah, to be a dog.

Sunday: Bouldering in Ash Canyon

On Sunday, my son and I decided to leave Gigi at home because we wanted to do some rock scrambling. Gigi believes (incorrectly) that she’s a mountain goat (or perhaps a Big Horn sheep), so she had to stay at home because I don’t like broken legs.

My son and I went back to Ash Canyon, where we’d had to turn around the week before (due to Gigi the Goat Dog and my whole anti-broken-leg stance).  This time, my son and I bouldered up the wash until we had to go up and around.

Once upon a time, in my previous life as an uber-prepared hiker, I would have had a trail guide with exact directions. Not anymore. I’d done a cursory Google search, so I knew we had to climb out of the wash eventually, but I couldn’t remember if it was the trail on the left or the right side of the canyon.  We chose the left.

By the time we encountered an imposing shelf of sandstone that made me say, “Sorry, but I’m not climbing up that,” we were both ready to turn around and come back.

“I think we should only hike one day of the weekend,” my son commented. “I’m kind of worn out.”

“Probably,” I said, thinking about the chores I had waiting at home.

But the day was clear, the skies a brilliant blue against the red rocks, birds were singing, and the trees were budding. I decided it would have been a shame to have wasted such a day on chores.

“We live in a beautiful place,” my son said several times on the way back.

“Yes, we do,” I agreed. “We certainly do.”

Have you been out to enjoy the desert while the weather’s still nice?

Calico Basin & The Rock Scrambling Dog

For some reason, I assumed that dogs possessed a natural instinct about how to safely navigate rocky terrain. I thought they had some inborn dog wisdom about behaving sanely around heights.

I was wrong. From what I observed on Sunday, my dog thinks she is a mountain goat. 

In the early afternoon, we (my son, the dog, and I) set out for a hike from the Sandstone Road Trailhead in Calico Basin. The area is heavily visited, which normally is something I avoid, but Gigi was delighted. She’s an extroverted canine. “New people? New dogs? And hiking!? If only you’d brought Beggin’ Strips, the day would be perfect!”

Gigi led us up the wide gravel trail toward Ash Canyon. We saw a photo shoot going on just off the trail, with the model (who was wearing black stiletto heels, a sequined bra, and extreme short-shorts) perched atop an impressive chunk of sandstone. In the distance and up high, rock climbers were hanging off the cliffs (which in comparison looked much harder, except for the high heels).

We continued past a rock labyrinth (the largest one I’ve seen so far in Red Rock), through a marshy area, and headed up Ash Canyon.

When a bit of light bouldering was required, I laughed when Gigi hopped over rocks. I mean, she looked adorable. I think I said something out loud to that effect.

When the bouldering got tougher, I climbed up, looking for a way around the boulders that were too high for Gigi. I stopped at a slab of sandstone that I wasn’t sure any of us could get around. “I don’t think we can get through this way,” I told my son, who was also checking out other routes.

Gigi must have thought I said, “Come this way!” because she charged around me, clambered up the rock, then slid down the sandstone like she was in some Canine X Games event.

“Yeah, I can see how she can’t get through this way,” my son commented.

“How’s she going to get back out of there?” I asked him. After surfing down four feet of sandstone, Gigi had landed in a pocket of scrub trees and gravel.

“Good point,” my son said.

Gigi was cheerfully unbothered by her position, and she managed to scramble up and out after a couple of tries. But had she learned that her lack of opposable thumbs (or hooves) was a major disadvantage when it came to rock scrambling? Nope. She soon was trying to scale the rocks ahead of us.

After having visions of carrying an injured dog back to the car (a 50 pound dog, by the way), I decided we needed to turn around.

Once we were on level ground, we met up with two other hikers on their way back to the trailhead. Gigi trotted happily in front of us. One of the hikers told me, “She reminds me of a dog I had named Foolish. He hiked with me in Alaska.” The hiker had seen Gigi trying to tip-toe along the side of a drop-off while we were still in the canyon.

Back at the car, Gigi the Goat Dog had a big drink of water before stretching out in the back seat and falling asleep. After finding out that all my assumptions about dogs and rock scrambling were wrong, I was just relieved that we hadn’t incurred any vet bills.

Do you hike with your dog?