My husband and I are going to Las Vegas at the end of March for an extended weekend. It is our first trip to Vegas (we are going for a wedding) and we have one "free" day that I want to devote to a day trip away from the city (we will have a rental car). Since we will only have time for one, do you recommend going to Red Rock Canyon or Valley of Fire?

We enjoy hiking, wildlife and picturesque scenery. We will be making this trip on Wednesday, so I am hoping to avoid any of the touristy crowds that I get the impression are there (at the parks) on the weekends.

Any insights as to which one is better (and why) will be greatly appreciated!

I was faced with the same dilemna a couple of years ago. Because we were short on time we went to Red Rock and had a wonderful time. If you google red rock canyon you will find the .org website that has great trail and hiking info.

Red Rocks State Park is closer to LV than Valley of Fire SP but not by too much. Valley of Fire will probably be less crowded but neither should be overwhelmed with people on a weekday in March.

I tend to lean a little toward Valley of Fire, not because it is superior to Red Rocks but because you could combine that trip with a drive along Shoreline Road at Lake Mead for some magnificent desert scenery. At that time, with luck, you might have a fairly good display of cactus flowers or wild flowers around Lake Mead.

I agree with the Valley of Fire choice, less crowded any time of the year and a nice drive. There is also a nice little musuem in Overton if you follow the Lake Mead shoreline road that far.

Thanks for the feedback so far. I am leaning towards Valley of Fire, because it is less crowded, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to miss a "must see" if we didn't got to Red Rock.

I liked Valley of Fire better than Red Rock. I thougth the scenery was more varied - arches, petroglyphs, even a slot canyon.

We were at Red Rock Canyon the week of Christmas and saw maybe 10 people during the morning. We enjoyed a hike on the Childrens Discovery Trail. I didn't see anything childish about it at all, we hiked to a slow running icicled waterfall. Haven't been to VOF. We did enjoy Red Rock and it is a short distance from Vegas. There are several good hikes to be done there.

Between the 2, Valley of Fire is my favorite place to just be alone. It's so vibrant in color, and the landscape can't be beat.

There's great hiking all over the place, just remember to bring enough water to sustain you at each hike. It gets real hot. And watch for wildlife. My favorite hike is the Mouse's Tank area. Plenty of petroglyphs all over.

Official website http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

Got an album on Webshots that has some Valley of Fire pix: http://community.webshots.com/user/bookhall It was our favorite, as well.

another vote for the Valley of Fire. it's worth the time end of march the temperature should be really nice, but still bring plenty of water. it's so beautiful there.

Thank you so much for everyone's feedback - this is precisely why I love this forum. We have decided to go to Valley of Fire.

If for 1/2 day, Red Rock. If for full day, the Valley of Fire.

I found the Valley to be more spectacular, more impressive, more unusual.

Both are beautiful, but I also favor Valley of Fire.

Utahtea

Yes, if you can only choose one, I too would go with Valley of Fire. It is easily done in the day. Maybe take some snacks..not much in the way of restaurants.

I have to agree with Faina. If you only have a half day, then Red Rock Canyon is much closer and doable. Valley of Fire is about a 45 minute (?) drive away from Vegas, whereas Red Rock is 20 minutes away.

We had one spare day last time we were in Vegas and drove to Valley of Fire - LOVED it. I've been to Red Rock Canyon previously, and I think VoF is much better - plus the drive was kind of nice. Definitely doable in a day - a nice day, at that....

We went to VOF a couple of years ago, and thought it was amazing. You can buy a little booklet at the entrance station that lists all of the hikes, and has lots of good information. We found that to be very useful.

Does the answer change if it is a weekend in early June? Within the day, is the trip better in the morning or the afternoon at either park?

In early June, the temps may be getting hot - 100+ in the afternoon in either place.

I'd still opt for Valley of Fire but take a good sunhat, protective lotion, and plenty of water.

As another poster said, snacks also couldn't hurt. Neither place is particularly convenient to restaurants or shops.

Is either park crowded on a weekend in June? Is the Red Rock Canyon cooler than the Valley of Fire in June or is there really no difference because they are both hot?