Description

Calico Basin is a colorful desert area tucked between the gray limestone La Madre Mountains to the north, the red sandstone Calico Hills to the west, and a desert ridge to the south. Three springs with permanent water emerge from the base of the red and white sandstone cliffs: Red Spring, Calico Spring, and Ash Spring. Water also emerges from several seeps in the area, and water runs in washes to the north and south of the springs area during winter. The springs support trees, thickets, and an open meadow. Compared to the surrounding desert, Calico Basin is sheltered and moist, and it is easy to understand why Native Americans, birds, and wildlife spend time here.

Link to Area Map or Red Spring Site Map.

The Red Spring Picnic Area was redesigned and rebuilt in 2005. The new design limits parking to a paved lot right inside the gate and a nice picnic area with covered seating, cooking grills, vault toilets, and trash cans. Immediately behind the picnic area, a boardwalk switchbacks up a marshy hillside shaded by large velvet ash trees. The switchbacks lead to the edge of a broad meadow where the boardwalk splits to make a loop around the meadow.

Red Spring flows from a shallow tunnel in the rocks on the far side of the boardwalk, and several other seeps in the area support large velvet ash trees, thickets of shrub live oak and honey mesquite, plus a meadow of saltgrass and sedges. It also supports a diverse collection of wildlife including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and invertebrates. All of this is surrounded by Mojave desert scrub vegetation, including creosote bush, white bursage, Mojave yucca, and joshua trees.

The outflow from Red Spring feeds the meadow (a marshy grassland). The meadow is fenced to protect it from trampling by wild burros, and the elevated boardwalk is intended to keep humans off the meadow. Please stay off the meadow.

In the Red Spring area, there are three groups of trees to check for birds: one near the parking area (boardwalk switchbacks), one at the southwest corner of the boardwalk (Red Spring), and another at the base of the cliffs north of the meadow (outside the fenced area). The shrub live oaks and desert areas along the cliffs are good for birding, and be sure to scan the meadow and open skies.

Adventuresome birders might want to visit Calico Spring and Ash Creek Spring, both of which are northwest of the Red Spring Picnic Area. See the Area Map for locations and trails.

Location

The Calico Basin Picnic Area is located in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley, about 30 minutes from downtown.

From town, drive out to Red Rocks. From Charleston Blvd at Highway I-215, the western beltway (Table 1, Site 0516), drive west on Charleston Blvd for 3.8 miles (about 1.5 miles before the entrance to the Scenic Loop) to Calico Basin Road (Calico Basin-Red Springs sign). Turn right onto Calico Basin Road and drive north, then west, for about 1 mile to where the paved road makes a 90-degree turn to the right.

At the curve, either drive straight through the gate into the Red Spring picnic area (Site 0464) or turn right to the other two springs.

For more trailhead information, see the Red Spring Trailhead (Red Spring), Assisi Road Trailhead (Calico Spring), or the Sandstone Road Trailhead (Ash Canyon Spring).

Hours

Sunrise to sunset.

Fees

Admission to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is charged per vehicle (annual passes accepted), but they do not seem to collect fees at the Calico Basin Picnic Area.

Specialties

During migration, a variety of species can be found here. During summer, this is a good site for White-throated Swifts, Violet-green Swallows, Northern Rough-winged swallows, several species of warblers, Western Kingbirds and other flycatchers, and sparrows including Black-throated, Brewer's, and Lark sparrows. Breeding species include Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Western Scrub-jays, Phainopepla, Verdin, Gambel's Quail, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Spotted Towhees, Bushtits, Chukar, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Unfortunately, European Starlings and European House Sparrows also breed here.

Also keep an eye out for Black-tailed Jackrabbits, Desert Cottontail Rabbits, White-tailed Antelope Squirrels, Side-blotched Lizards, and Western Whiptail Lizards. In the springs, be careful of the tiny Spring Mountains Springsnail which can only be found in Red Spring and a few other springs in the area. The rare Alkali Mariposa Lily and Stream Orchids also occur in the meadow.