Get quick fix of wildlife, red cliffs

Deborah Wall/Special to ViewA wooden boardwalk protects the environmentally sensitive habitat at the Red Springs area of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Deborah Wall/Special to ViewA wooden boardwalk protects the environmentally sensitive habitat at the Red Springs area of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Advertisement

With the sizzling temperatures finally behind us, it's time to get outside and revel in the stunning nature that surrounds Las Vegas. One of the most favorite and closest places for Las Vegans is the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

While many of this park's most popular trailheads lie along the one-way, 13-mile scenic drive, a few others are even more accessible and especially suitable for those who need a quick fix of nature but are short on time. One such place is the Calico Springs/Red Springs area, where an interpretive trail travels along a half-mile boardwalk, skirting the perimeter of a lush, grassy alkaline meadow at the base of the park's signature sandstone cliffs.

While this trail won't put many miles on your boots, you'll see a lot of diversity. While walking through the riparian area, you will enjoy excellent views of the Calico Springs area and be within a landscape of the park's spectacular red cliffs. Along the way, you also will see evidence from past human occupants and, with any luck, some wildlife.

From the parking area, just head through the shaded picnic area, where you will find the beginning of the wooden boardwalk tucked at the base of a tree-covered hill. Built in 2005 to protect this environmentally sensitive habitat from trampling, the boardwalk will serve as your trail.

Follow the boardwalk up a short ascent to the top of the hill. Lying before you, surrounded by the boardwalk, will be the alkaline meadow. The route loops around the meadow, so it doesn't matter which direction you go.

As you travel around, take the time to listen and look for wildlife. With the nooks and crannies of the sandstone cliffs, a reliable year-round water source and a variety of vegetation, this area attracts a lot of it.

You will notice several deciduous trees, including the water-loving velvet ash, which provide good nesting and roosting spots. More than 100 different species of birds have been recorded here.

During the day, you might see canyon wrens or black-tailed gnatcatchers flitting about looking for insects, phainopepla feasting on the berries of desert mistletoe, or even red-tailed hawks soaring high above, looking for prey.

Several interesting animals live here but are rarely seen, except by the most crafty humans or by luck. Some birds, such as great horned owls, common poorwills and nighthawks are active only at night. And mammals such as ringtail cats, gray foxes and mountain lions are simply elusive.

About halfway around the boardwalk, you will come to the base of the cliffs. Look carefully on the large boulders scattered about and you will see some petroglyphs. These symbols were pecked or etched by American Indians into the thin layer of desert varnish that covers the sandstone. Some of this rock art is thought to be thousands of years old.

More recently, the Red Spring area was used by homesteaders and ranchers.

As you continue around the boardwalk, be sure to take the short spur to Red Spring itself. Water flows from a small cave and supports many water-loving plants, such as stream orchid and watercress. This also is one of the few places where the Spring Mountains springsnail thrives. Red-spotted toads and Pacific chorus frogs also are found here.

Be warned that sounds seem to be amplified in this limited area, and the voice of a small frog can be startling. But after the surprise, your nerves and mind will settle into the happy realization that the noise you hear is the sound of peace.

Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide" and "Base Camp Las Vegas: Hiking the Southwestern States," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at deborabus@aol.com.