Winter Hike in Red Rock Canyon

Yesterday I hiked about four miles in Red Rock Canyon. It was a chilly day, about 50 degrees, and a bit blustery. One little secret about the Las Vegas area is that they do get some winter here. In fact, there's a ski area about an hour's drive from town. It was rather cloudy while I hiked, which led to some near views.

The area where I was hiking is considerably higher in elevation than Las Vegas, about 4-5 thousand feet. (Vegas is 2000-2500) It's cool and moist enough to support a P-J forest (pinyon pines and junipers). In fact, one canyon near here has some ponderosa pines. They're thought to be a relic of the ice age, when the climate was cooler and wetter and ponderosas probably grew in the Las Vegas valley.

Some areas of Red Rock look downright alpine! The Vegas region is really quite diverse. The highest mountain near the city, Mount Charleston, is over 11 thousand feet high...that's where the ski area is. I didn't go up there this week...if I visit in the summer I definitely will.