Blanket panel (view from boardwalk near Red Spring).
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Description
Calico Basin is a colorful 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 sandstone cliffs: Red Spring, Calico Spring,
and Ash Spring. Water also runs in washes to the north and south of the
springs during winter. Compared to the surrounding desert, Calico Basin is sheltered and moist, and it is easy to
understand why native people spent time here. |
Blanket panel.
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The outflow from Red Spring feeds a
marshy grassland that has recently been protected from trampling by
fencing to keep wild burros out and an elevated boardwalk to keep
humans off the meadow. The old road is blocked and revegetated, and
parking is now just inside the entrance gate. Access to Red Spring and
most of the petroglyphs is via the boardwalk. |
Petroglyphs along boardwalk. (Black arrow = Boulder #1; white arrow = boulder #2).
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There are many
large boulders scattered along the base of the sandstone
cliffs near Red Spring. Some of the rock faces are covered in desert
varnish, a naturally occurring dark patina that forms on the surface of
rocks in the desert. Native peoples created most of their petroglyphs
by pecking away the thin layer of desert varnish to reveal the
underlying red and white sandstone rock. Infrequently however, they
just carved images into the surface of unvarnished rocks. Examples of
both types of petroglyphs can be seen from the boardwalk a few
yards north of Red Spring (Table 2, Wpt. 7). |
Boulder #1 (see photo above) as seen from boardwalk. |
In addition to the petroglyphs along the boardwalk,
there is a nice
example of a petroglyph blanket high on the cliffs above Red Springs
(Table 2, Wpt. 8). The petroglyph blanket is large (about 4 feet high),
but it is best seen with binoculars from the boardwalk near Red
Springs. This petroglyph is on a rock face that faces southeast, so
from Red Spring, look for it up and to the northwest (see photo). There
are petroglyphs on other boulders scattered about the area (e.g., just
south of Red Spring and at Wpt. 6). If you scramble around looking for
them, be careful in the rocks and don't touch or otherwise
damage the
petroglyphs. |
Boulder #1, closeup of top. |
Native people also made agave-roasting pits in Calico
Basin,
although none are easily seen in the boardwalk area. To see good
examples of agave-roasting pits, drive up the Scenic Loop Road to
Willow Springs.
Access to Calico Basin is via a good, paved road. Access
to the petroglyph area is via a short boardwalk. |
Boulder #2 (see photo above). |
Location
The area is located in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 30 minutes
west of Las Vegas, but not along the Scenic Loop Road.
Links to Area
Map and Site Map. |
Boulder #2, close up of top. |
From town, drive out towards Red Rocks. From Charleston
Blvd at Highway
215 (the western beltway) (Table 1, Site 516), drive west on Charleston
Blvd for 3.8 miles to Calico Basin Road (Site 520). The turnoff is
about 1.5 miles before the entrance to the Scenic Loop. 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 this point, turn
left, drive through the gate, and enter the Red Springs Picnic Area
(Site 464). Red Spring, the actual spring, is located on the far side
of the boardwalk loop trail. |
Boulder #2, close up of bottom. |
Hours
Red Rocks is a day-use area. The actual opening and closing times generally follow sunrise and sunset.
Fees
Admission is $5 per day (annual passes accepted),
but they don't seem to be collecting fees at Calico Basin these days. |
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Boulder southwest of Red Spring. |
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Boulder northwest of Red Spring. |
