Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is a tranquil gem in the southwest side of Las Vegas, offering a…read morefantastic escape. The huge, grassy field is perfect for picnics, and the restrooms are very clean. It's also pet-friendly, with leashed dogs welcome on the trails. There are several different hiking options, from easy to moderate, with beautiful views. Don't miss the historic ranch house, once owned by Howard Hughes, which is open for tours and has a small gift shop. Very peaceful and tranquil for a lovely afternoon visit.

This a peaceful hidden gem. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is located just a few minutes outside…read moreof the Las Vegas strip. Surrounded by red rock cliffs, and lots of greenery. This place is perfect for a nice walk through the garden a picnic or even a hike. The historic ranch adds a nice touch, with great photos and views. I found that this place is less crowded compared to all the other parks and outdoor scenic areas that we've been visiting.. definitely worth a visit if you're looking for a peaceful escape away from the city. Also, while you're here don't forget to check out the little gift shop which offers a variety of sweet treats, such as chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered marshmallows, and so much more, which are all delicious.

Nice trails off the main highway on the way from Vegas to pahrump that are free to access and do…read morehave a restroom. The trails go for a bit and have beautiful views of the mountains all around. Overall, the trails are pretty flat and are in the easier side, with lots of grave/rocks though. Much of the hike is in direct sun, so be prepared for that if coming mid-day. The rubber ducky trail is off of here where you can see the tree decorated with rubber ducks. It's a bit silly, but is a fun draw for the area.

Wow, what a wonderful trailhead! Note that this trailhead is in the middle of nowhere before you…read morereach Pahrump, so there is absolutely no cellphone reception in the area. This is a great trailhead for those that are new to hiking or just love hiking in general. The trails are mostly flat that loops around (5 miles total) and you have amazing Mountain View's all around. It was really windy that day so because of this we didn't hike the whole 5 miles. Though I was wearing the appropriate shoes and had a full bottle of water and walking sticks on me, I still felt like I wasn't really prepared for this trail, since I had my hands full and I did not have a backpack on me. Though I live in Henderson, making the 30+ minute drive out of the city to hike Late Night was definitely worth it! While it was windy overall, the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold to hike.

Nice park. There are trails to go up the hill. You get a nice view of the strip. Also a lot of area…read morefor my kids to ride their scooters and roller blade.

This newer, well-maintained park is a great spot for a short walking loop and to take in some city…read moreand mountain views. You can also take the trail up the mountain, which is nice. There is a playground, picnic area, basketball court, and large grass area too. Overall, a great way to spend some time and get some exercise on.

My first ever hike that I took 16 years ago in Vegas. I took there so many friends, I took there…read morehusband when we were dating and now my kids. It never fails, it's super easy and in the spring so beautiful when snow is melting and provides creek with water. I have to say that with growing population of our city, this hike is super popular too. It was packed this past Sunday. Just be prepared. Kids were talking about waterfall for days. Our nature is so different and so beautiful

In A Nutshell:…read more -First Creek Trail is nice little out & back trail system 8 miles down the road, just outside Red Rock Canyon. -You will may see some wild donkeys grazing if you keep scanning your environment. -The trail is dog friendly. -You will engage in various terrain consisting of both desert, shrubs, trees & water in the creek. -The sound of fresh water flowing is nice, especially when you don't hear it over human voices. Overall, this is an easy hike to start your day off right.

This is a very clean and spacious park with three different play areas and tennis courts. Parking…read morewas easy to find and the bathroom was clean and orderly. The playground equipment appeared well maintained and there were different obstacles. There was a small interesting zip lining glider as well.

This park was super green and had two different playgrounds, we attended a 7 year old birthday…read moreparty there was benches to sit on, it wasn't busy had the right amount of people at the park. Kids had a blast, we also spotted these weird looking flying birds/insects. We walked over to the flowerbeds where they were at and thought they were baby hummingbirds with antennas, but then looked it up and they are hawk moths. There was quite a few in the flower beds.

When I first discovered this park, I pretty much had it all to myself. Now it has become more…read morepopular but still a great escape when I don't feel like running in my neighborhood. The park is a nice size with some little league ballparks, clean restrooms, grassy areas for kids and dogs, tennis courts, playground and some nice walking paths. What I enjoy most about this park is how close it is to the mountains. Such beautiful views but they just keep building so I am not sure how much longer these views will last. Plenty of room for picnics and just relaxing in the sun or come for a run. Look

Took a morning walk through this park today. It's quiet, clean, and feels very safe. I also brought…read moremy kids to play here a few weeks back and they enjoyed it however they prefer parks that are busier with more kids to play with. But this is a great, calm place to bring kids if you want a more relaxing day. Includes baseball diamonds, basketball courts, tennis courts, playground.

Such a cool loop!…read more We're so lucky to have Red Rock Canyon so close to town and there are so many areas you can explore without entering the paid loop. This is one of them and I recommend checking out the little town of Blue Diamond as well where you can park safely and then go exploring. The loop itself is just under 8 miles. Depending on which part of it you hike your experience can include burros, an abandoned ranch, rubber ducks, and even a shot up classic car. This particular loop is free. You can begin the trail from several different areas. There's no shade so best time to be here is on much cooler days typically Oct - Apr. Also keep in mind that desert weather can turn on you very quickly so sometimes your hike starts with blue skies but can end up with clouds or even rain. So take advantage of the best time of year in Vegas which is now! Explore beyond Red Rock Canyon loop and have a lot of fun.

Great time at Landmine, Spanish trail to rubber ducky always a good time especially when the…read moreweather is this nice. If you go it's best the day after a mice rain. If it has rain d in a while then you'll probably encounter more loose gravel but that's ok because it just adds to the challenge. You can start your ride from Blue Diamond or leave a vehicle at Blue Diamond and shuttle up to "Late Night" on Blue Diamond highway. From "Late Night" you can take trails like: Mustang, viagra to land mine and then back into Blue Diamond. So many different trail systems! Lots of good inclines and fast down hills.

One of the overlooked hiking areas in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is Blue…read moreDiamond Hill on the east side of Charleston Boulevard. There are a number of trails here, many made by mountain bikers who use the area for its challenging terrain. This hike can be made as hard or easy as you want. I make a long one out of it, but you could hike in a mile or so and then return to your car. It depends on your skill and the time you have. To get to the Cave Canyon Trail, drive past the entrance to the Visitor Center and Scenic Drive on Charleston Boulevard. About 1/2 mile beyond the entrance, there's a small parking area on the left side of the road where you go to ride horses with Cowboy Trail Rides. Park in this lot. From the lot, follow the dirt road as it heads toward a corral which usually has a good number of horses. At the corral, the road heads to your right. Keep following the road. You're going up the road that leads to the Cowboy Trail Rides area where they have their meals that come with certain rides. Just before the horse area, the trail goes off to your left and drops into a wash. There are a couple of ways you can get into the wash. It doesn't matter where just as long as you keep heading toward the two canyons in the distance. You will come to a fork in the trail as you look at the two canyons. Take the left fork. This is Cave Canyon. Follow the trail into Cave Canyon and enjoy the stunning limestone. If you stop and look at some of the boulders, you can see the fossilized imprints of clams that once lived on the bottom of the sea that was here. As you hike up this trail, you come to a dry waterfall. There are some boulders piled below to help you get up the 6 feet or so to get past the dry fall. If this looks too challenging, this would be a good place to turn around. For those with hiking skills, going beyond the dry fall begins a journey of following the canyon back and forth as it winds its way up Blue Diamond Hill. Eventually, you'll come to the overlook where below you is beautiful, Lady Las Vegas. It's a great sight to see our city stretched out below. On clear days, you can see Lake Mead but this is becoming rarer as the lake drops more and more. Retrace your steps and enjoy the many cacti, especially barrel cacti, that like the limestone of Blue Diamond Hill. If you go all the way to the overlook, the total distance will be about 6 miles. Here are some photos I took when I did this hike on December 29, 2009. If you have any questions about the hike, send me a message and I'll be glad to answer questions. Happy hiking!

Blue Diamond Hill is an extraordinary place off the beaten path in The Red Rock Canyon National…read moreConservation Area. Its open spaces, western landscape, and beauty has touched my heart. Unfortunately, when I recently hiked in its Cave Canyon Trail it destroyed my heart. Seeing the graffiti epidemic creates a wound that band aids and water can't cure. A precious area of Blue Diamond Hill with so much to give is being wasted away by graffiti. The graffiti is so bad that it is running out of giving. What a difference a couple of years makes. The last time I hiked in Cave Canyon, with the exception of the lower cave, the graffiti was as sparse as a Park Ranger patrolling Blue Diamond Hill. Now it is on the level of a barrier wall in a ghetto along some parts of the canyon. Where is paradise-turning-into the ghetto of Red Rock Canyon? Facing north, it is on the right (east) side of State Route 159 between the exit and entrance of the 13 Mile Scenic Drive. The Cowboy Trails parking lot is the trailhead. This is the same parking lot of the Las Vegas Overlook. The parking lot is small and unpaved. It fills up fast. When I hike up Blue Diamond Hill, I park in the paved Red Rock Canyon Overlook parking lot, then walk approximately 1/2 mile alongside State Route 159 to the trailhead. So, from the unpaved parking lot, you want to continue hiking on a dirt road past two horse corals. Compared to the graffiti ahead, the scenery of horses with Blue Diamond Hill in the background is a 4 star picture spot. The horseriders add to the western landscape. On this note, it amazes me that people complain that the horses are destroying the landscape when criminals are doing severe damage vandalizing it. Anyway, the dirt road stops at the second coral and narrows into foot/ equestrian trails. To aim for Cave Canyon you want to envision a clock. Cave Canyon will be toward the 11 'o' clock position. Now you want to follow the trail into the wash and toward the canyon that will be toward the 12 'o' clock position and not toward the right at the 3 'o' clock position. The trail passes on a covering of desert sprinkled with creosote, Joshua trees, and rocks. Unfortunately in mid-2014, graffiti is the landmark to the canyon portion. "Enoch" in large black letters welcomes the hiker. Whatever it means, "Enoch" would be a common sight along the uphill trail. Into the canyon, the trail ascends a hill to the right. It follows the mountain wall to the right and the view below to the left. Halfway to the right is a small cave. I posted a picture that shows how graffiti destroyed this cave. Bird&hike.com also shows the graffiti infestation. A short distance past the small cave, you will reach a wall of rocks. From this point forward, class three scrambling is required to reach the upper cave. Of course, graffiti is the landmark. The reward for all the graffiti on the way up is the breathtaking views of Red Rock Canyon on the hike down. From this angle, you could see a post card view of Red Rock Canyon. The funny thing about Cave Canyon is that the surrounding trails are still untouched beautiful western landscapes. With Cave Canyon on fire from graffiti, until the National Park Service attempts to control it; I highly recommend reaching the top of Blue Diamond Hill from the Las Vegas Overlook Trail or the Cowboy Trails system. In conclusion I give Cave Canyon 3 stars. The way I see it, somebody has to give something to this unloved place that wants to give some kind of love. Hopefully the National Park Service will give Cave Canyon back to health so that it can in turn give future generations uplifting experiences in the caves of Blue Diamond Hill.

I've got to update my review on this park…read more Over the years, this park has really come a long way! There is constantly maintenance staff here working on making the park nice. Thank you it is always clean and looks great! The flowers here in the spring (and other seasons too), but the spring especially, are quite nice. Walking path is a bit small but if you loop a few times you can get a good walk in with a nice park around you. Playground area is expansive, grass is nice, there are some tables throughout, and bathrooms as well. Located right off of the Main Street by the water park so you do hear some noise, but it's still a nice park.

Lots of parking, great playground, lots of grassy areas for the pup, but unfortunately they do not…read morehave a separate dog park :( The keikis really enjoyed playing on the equipment and the covering provided ample shade, although it was still really warm out, it helped. Downside: My grandson did find a steak knife near the top of the playground equipment. I asked him to kick it down to me, and I then used a doggy poop bag to pick it up and discard it in the trash. Really am surprised at how irresponsible people are with their belongings. Although the knife was dull, what in the heck was it doing on the playground equipment??? Come on people kids play here... In any case, the park was pretty clean and well maintained. Would definitely visit this park again.

Not really "caves" in the standard sense, but little scoops in the cliff side. If you are going to…read morehike around the hills nearby you can check them out , but not worth making a trip just to see a bunch of trashed out holes in the wall.

They plan to fill these caves here soon. Perhaps they already have…read more As beautiful and exciting as these caves are to explore unfortunately people trash them. There was broken glass, cigarette butts, empty water bottles, trash, and graffiti everywhere. I don't mind graffiti as much if it's neat or artistic because it reminds me of modern day petroglyphs but I'm not a fan of hateful imagery. (As I'm sure most people aren't.) You can drive or hike up to the caves. We always opted to hike. We brought snacks and had our lunch and ate with a spectacular view from one of the higher openings we climbed to. These caves are old plaster mines and deep inside it looks like the walls of the cave have glitter mixed into the rocks. It is beautiful. We took string for a guide, 2 head lamps, 2 flashlights, and extra extra extra batteries. (We had no idea how deep the caves are but I'd guess only half mile or so.)