Calico Hills Loop

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Published: February 26, 2026

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Nearby Essentials

Gas: Chevron & Terribles
Directions

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Common Questions

Distance:: 7.05 miles
Class:: Class 2
Dogs:: Ok, but the distance may be challenging for some.
Route Style:: loop
Trail Condition:: Primitive
Tags:: challenging, diverse terrain, multiple trails combined
Difficulty:: Hard
Parking:: At Calico Tanks, Calico Hills, and Red Spring lots.
Restrooms:: No
Reception:: No
Access:: Park near Red Spring parking lot and hike counter-clockwise, but you could certainly park at Kraft Mountain or even Calico Tanks. Depends where you want to end.
Good to Know:: Though this may be a known route among some locals, it's not well marked and can be tricky to navigate. Use the map.
Why:: The backside has fascinating rock formations and a very diverse terrain.
Wildlife Probability:: Occasional sightings of bighorn sheep. Otherwise—minimal probability.
Trailhead coordinates:: 36.14756, -115.41784 — Map

The Calico Hills loop in Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas is comprised of a number of hiking trails that make up one continuous, diverse, and fairly challenging route. Taking this route is typically reserved for locals interested in gaining a better grasp of this portion of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Realistically, anyone can take this trail—and is encouraged to do so because it's a wonderful hike.

Calico Hills Loop Trail

Because this is a loop made of numerous trails, hikers can start and end in any number of places. It's common however to park in the Red Spring parking lot and follow this route:

From the Red Spring lot, take the Calico Basin trail.
Transition to Girl Scout.
Make your way to Hell Hill.
Navigate to Rattlesnake.
Jump on to the start of Calico Tanks, following it to Calico Hills, then Calico Overlook.

Easier said than done. Hell Hill and Rattlesnake are the tricky parts as they're both fully unmaintained. You won't find trail markers in this region and there's even several forks making it more than tricky to navigate correctly. In turn, offline maps are definitely advised as well as hiking shoes/ hiking boots, weather and time planning in addition to bringing water and potentially a few snacks.

Hikers could easily park at Calico Hills or Sandstone Quarry further up the Scenic Loop. On the other side, parking at Kraft Mountain is also feasible. Moving counter-clockwise is enjoyable, but there is no exact recommendation. Hikers will undoubtedly experience beautiful landscapes, vistas, and valleys—which are only but a few in Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas's nearly 200,000 acres.

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