Pine Creek Canyon Hike

A popular and easy hike in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, the Pine Creek Canyon Trail is short enough for most families and offers nice distant views of the Red Rock scenery. The little creek and the large pines give this part of the park a different feel from the rest, and with good reason. Geologist believe that this area is essentially unchanged since the last ice age 10,000 years ago. The trail starts down into the broad wash of Pine Creek and follows the north bank of the creek for about a half mile until the site of an old homestead. Here there is a foundation and a few old apple trees from the early 20th century. At the site, the trail splits into a loop that can be taken in either direction, though direction-finding on the left (south) fork of the trail can be a bit tricky. For many, just taking the right fork and following it to the end and backtracking down the same route will be just fine. The canyon from the end of the trail is quite rough with vegetation and boulders, but the adventurous may want to explore it for a ways before turning back.