Hotels near Pine Creek Canyon

Pine Creek Canyon gives you the biggest canyon walls in Red Rock Canyon for the least effort. The maintained partial loop is 4 km (2.5 miles) round trip with only 60 m (200 ft) of elevation change, takes 1.5 to 2 hours, and is rated easy - flat, sandy, and walkable in trainers. It runs straight at Mescalito, the pyramid-shaped sandstone buttress that splits the canyon into two forks, and the ponderosa pines along the creek are the reason this spot feels cooler and greener than anywhere else on the Scenic Loop Drive.

Halfway in you pass the concrete foundations of the Wilson homestead, built by Horace Wilson in the 1920s, plus a short Fire Ecology Trail loop across a burn area that has now fully regrown. Push up the streambed past the homestead and the grade turns moderate to strenuous over boulders and slick rock, with seasonal pools and small cascades running roughly December to April. That upper section is optional, which is what makes Pine Creek Canyon the right pick for mixed-fitness groups or a first desert hike.

Pro Tip: Pine Creek is the last major trailhead on the one-way loop, so save it for last rather than driving the 13-mile circuit twice. The car park sits on a low rise with a full canyon panorama - a good place to eat lunch when the trail itself is busy.