Overview

Oak Creek Road is a dirt spur-road in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area that connects the Scenic Loop Road with the Oak Creek Trailhead near the base of the Red Rock Cliffs.

The road is about 0.7 miles long and fairly smooth, suitable for a carefully driven sedan.

Oak Creek Road provides access to the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness Area, numerous hikes including Oak Creek Canyon, Arnight Trail, Knoll Trail, Escarpment Trail, and Rainbow Mountain Loop, plus lots of grand scenery.

Link to Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ...this is a safe drive, but sometimes the wash-boards are pretty bad.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this road is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Hiking Essentials.

Getting to Oak Creek Road

From Las Vegas, drive out West Charleston Blvd to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Pay the fee and drive 12.1 miles around the Scenic Loop Road to Oak Creek Road, on the right.

The Road

From the Scenic Loop Road (Table 1, Site 0530), Oak Creek Road turns right onto the dirt.

Oak Creek Road is fairly smooth, but careful driving avoids the worst of the rocks. The road runs southwest with grand views of the Red Rock Cliff in the background.

Vegetation in this area is typical of higher-elevation Mojave Desert Scrub. Here, the dominant shrub species is Blackbrush, with nice sprinklings of Mojave Yucca, Buckhorn Cholla, and few other shrubs.

Oak Creek Road runs southwest for 0.7 miles to Oak Creek Trailhead (Site 0531), which serves several hiking trails. From the trailhead, the Rainbow Loop makes for a nice, 3.2-mile hike that goes out under the Red Rock Cliffs, and the Oak Creek Canyon Trail leads up into Oak Creek Canyon, the deep canyon ahead in the cliffs. The Arnight Trailhead serves the Arnight Trail.