Viva-ing in Las Vegas: Red Rock National Conservation Area

Living in a city that is almost completely known for being a tourist destination can be a little tricky.  Before we moved here, I was legitimately worried that the entire town would be like The Strip:  all flashing lights and casinos and just general wildness.  While there ARE slot machines and poker games in the grocery stores and gas stations (because why wouldn't you want to be able to gamble while picking up some produce?), we have been so pleasantly surprised to find that there are tons of other unique and fun things to do in Las Vegas besides just going to the strip.  I'll be writing about a few of them over the next few months in case anyone who is visiting Vegas wants to venture off the beaten path!

Red Rock National Conservation Area sits on the western edge of Las Vegas and is so easy to get to.  There are trails for hiking, biking, horsebacking riding, and you can rock climb.  But, if you have a baby (or some other person who is physically incapable of walking over rocks for several miles - or just doesn't feel like it), good news!  The 13-mile scenic drive loop is breathtakingly beautiful and will get you a million spectacular views.

We did duck off the scenic loop and take a short little hike (as in, approximately 1/2 mile) with AA in my Moby wrap!  Hopefully we can both build up our endurance (me, for carrying a 15-lb. object on my person) and tolerance (AA, for being wrapped and strapped to Mom) and take some longer hikes in the future!  Or just get a different baby backpack and throw AA on Dad instead :)

If you bring some friends, it makes the drive and photo ops even more fun (we had Heidi and Marshall with us that weekend!).

But of course, watch out for that extremely bright Las Vegas desert sun.