Overview

This nice, 1.1-mile loop trail runs down one side of Red Rocks Wash and back up the other. The trail can be started from the Willow Springs or Lost Creek parking areas, which are at opposite ends of the loop. The scenery is great, the desert vegetation is relatively lush (well, for the desert), there are two springs with riparian vegetation, there are interesting Native American sites along the way, and there is always the chance of seeing bighorn sheep up in the cliffs.

Link to map or elevation profile.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a safe hike if you don't stray off the trail. Watch for cars when crossing the road. Please respect the Native American sites and don't deface them; they are part of the history of this land, and when they are gone, they are gone forever.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this hike is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

This hike is located along the Scenic Loop Road in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 1 hour west of Las Vegas. Drive out to Red Rocks, pay the fee, and then drive about half-way around the Scenic Loop Road to Willow Springs Road. Turn right and drive north 0.2 miles to the Lost Creek Trailhead or 0.6 miles to the Willow Springs Trailhead. Park here; these are the trailheads.

The Hike

From the Willow Springs parking area, wander down the paved road through the picnic area to the lower restroom facility (Table 2, Waypoint 1). From the restroom, a cement trail leads a few yards east to some huge boulders with Native American hand paintings (Wpt 2) (pictographs using red paint) and an agave-roasting pit (Wpt 3). Signs provide information about the site. There is more rock art hanging on the wall of Red Rock Canyon, but you'll have to search for it.

After spending a few minutes contemplating the lives of people who lived here hundreds of years ago, continue down the dirt trail past the agave-roasting pit. As you start walking south, you can see the Lost Creek parking area in the distance (which is your immediate target and about 0.4 miles away). There are some interesting colors (reds, purples, whites) in the dirt and rocks along the trail, and the vegetation is fairly dense with lots of shrub live oak.

From the agave-roasting pit, the trail runs south for 0.30 miles to intersect the White Rock Loop trail (Wpt 4). At the junction, the Willow Springs Loop stays to the right and runs down the hillside towards the paved road. The loop crosses the road at the crosswalk (watch for traffic), and crosses the Lost Creek parking lot to the Lost Creek Falls trailhead (Wpt 6).

About 80 yards past the parking area, the Willow Springs Loop Trail passes the junction with the SMYC Trail (Wpt 8) and continues southwest (straight) towards Red Rock Wash (Wpt 9). In wet years, water flows in the wash, which is always nice to see in the desert. Even in dry years, however, there is enough water down in the gravel to support thickets of shrub live oak, desert willow, redbud, and other small trees that grow in the wash.

The trail crosses the wash and wanders up the rocky hillside into the willow thicket (Wpt 10). There is a boardwalk through the wet thicket, which is nice because people used to trample the whole place; it is nice to see the vegetation growing back. This is a nice place to stop, sit, relax in the shade of the willows, and listen to the sounds of water and birds.

Continuing past the boardwalk, the trail runs straight towards Lost Creek Canyon. About 20 yards past the end of the boardwalk, just before entering the canyon, the Willow Springs Loop Trail turns right at an unmarked T-intersection (Wpt 12) and runs north, back towards the picnic area.

From the rock art site, the trail continues north, winding among rocks and trees under a band of red cliffs, for 0.09 miles to a 3-way trail intersection (Wpt 16). The trail to the northeast (right) is the Children's Discovery Trail that leads back to the Lost Creek parking area. The Willow Springs Loop turns northwest (left) and climbs up the hill through a slot between two huge boulders.

The trail winds along the bench to a highpoint (Wpt 19), then starts a fairly steep descent behind some boulders into a scrub-oak thicket and back into Red Rock Wash (S20). From the wash crossing, the trail runs northeast for 0.08 miles back to the Willow Springs picnic area, which can be seen across the canyon, completing the loop.