Rather than spend four hours each way driving to the Grand Canyon, we decided to just take our time and see a closer canyon, the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. While it’s not a natural wonder of the world, it was pretty cool to get out of the city again and see some different scenery. Not so cool was the temperature, as the day was a sweltering 100° day in the middle of the desert. Fortunately, the sights of Red Rock Canyon can be taken in by driving the 18 mile loop with optional hikes of varying lengths and difficulty.

Red Rock Canyon is about 30 minutes to the west of the city and is very easy to find. The cost is $7 a vehicle for the day and you could easily spend an entire day taking it all in. As you drive throughout the route, the scenery changes and the canyon mountains seem to grow out of the red earth.

The canyon was formed about 600 millions of years ago. The basin was underwater and according to the park ranger, this was the Pacific Ocean and beachfront property!