Red Rock Canyon NCA

 Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape System and protected as a National Conservation Area. And yes, the senior pass is accepted here. Also we learned that a senior pass allows you to recieve a 10% discount in the gift shop as well.

 First stop for us was the Visitor/Interpretive Center...the best we have ever seen. The center covers 1,600 square feet and has an outdoor exhibit area. The displays explain natural resources...


fire...



...air and...

...rocks...

...wind.



A one-way loop road, 13 miles long, provide vehicle access to many of the park features.

Several side roads and parking areas allow access to many of the trails located in the park.

The Red Rock area was located under a deep ocean basin 600 million years ago.

Sediments up to 9,000 feet were deposited and eventually formed into limestone.

A significant geologic feature is the Keystone Thrust Fault. About 65 million years ago, it is believed that two of the earth's crustal plates collided. The thrust contact is clearly defined by the sharp contrast between the grey limestones and the red sandstones.

The Conservation Area is a protected habitat for the Desert Tortoise.

This area is one of the easternmost parts of the Mojave Desert.

Wild burros are a famaliar sight as are rabbits and ground squirrels.

This area has been used as a Native American trade route, a passage for sheep herders, a stagecoach road, a railroad track, and a truck stop.

The beautiful cliffs have been used as a backdrop for many TV shows and films including Lassie, Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Lost in Space. Even though no dinosaur fossils have been found in or around the canyon, scenes from Jurassic Park were also filmed here.

Wildfires, especially those that occured in the loop road area, allows visitors to see the damage caused by these events as well as the ability of the desert to heal itself over time.

 This fire, caused by lightening, occured in 2006. This area is fenced off. This is all that has regrown in 61/2 years.

Can you see the rock climber in the picture above? I zoomed as much as I could...the park provides a wide variety of activities...most popular are hiking, biking, and rock climbing.

Red Rock Canyon NCA is a beautiful park. Thank you to Merikay (merika-merika.blogspot.com) who commented on an earlier post that she had enjoyed Red Rock Canyon. We did too!

 

Thanks for stopping by...we do appreciate you taking the time to share our adventure with us. Have a great week...ours sure has started off with a bang thanks to Steve and Joan (fosj-steve.blogspot.com).

Y'all come back soon!