Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive: Mile-by-Mile Guide to All 13 Stops
The Scenic Drive is a single paved lane that only goes one way, which sounds restrictive until you realize it means there is no wrong turn to make. Every stop worth knowing sits along one continuous 13-mile loop, in a fixed order, whether you are behind your own wheel or riding along.
The Scenic Drive is a single paved lane that only goes one way, which sounds restrictive until you realize it means there is no wrong turn to make. Every stop worth knowing sits along one continuous 13-mile loop, in a fixed order, whether you are behind your own wheel or riding along with a guide.
Latest dataThe 13-mile loop: where the climbing happens
Elevation figures are approximate, compiled from the Scenic Drive's own published high point; other stop positions are relative order along the one-way loop, not precise mile markers.
What exactly is the Scenic Drive?
The Scenic Drive is a paved, one-way, 13-mile loop road through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, lined with overlooks and trailheads and closed to two-way traffic so cars move in a single continuous direction. It is the spine that almost every visit, hiking or not, is built around, and it is described in more detail on BLM's own Red Rock Canyon page.
Vehicle entry requires a timed-entry reservation from October through May, booked through Recreation.gov; the full booking process and fees are in our timed-entry and reservations guide. From June through September, no reservation is needed.
The stops, in order
From the entrance, the loop passes Calico I and Calico II, then Sandstone Quarry, climbs to High Point Overlook, branches toward Willow Spring and the Rocky Gap spur, continues past Lost Creek Canyon, Ice Box Canyon, Red Rock Wash, Pine Creek Canyon and the Oak Creek Canyon spur, then returns to Red Rock Overlook near the exit onto SR-159. Treat the order below as the practical sequence, not a mile-marker chart; several travel sources describe the stops slightly differently, so exact distances between them are approximate.
| Stop | What's there | Worth stopping for |
|---|---|---|
| Calico I & Calico II | Overlooks and access to the Calico Hills | First real views of the red sandstone, plus bouldering access |
| Sandstone Quarry | Historic quarry site, trailhead for Calico Tanks and Turtlehead Peak | Interpretive displays and the park's most popular hikes |
| High Point Overlook | The highest point on the loop, about 4,771 ft | The best 360-degree view on the drive |
| Rocky Gap Road spur | Unpaved side road into the backcountry | Off-road access (this is the road the site's own 4x4 tour uses) |
| Willow Spring Picnic Area | Picnic tables, short trails nearby | A shaded stop for a break |
| Lost Creek Canyon | Short canyon trailhead | A quick, easy detour if you have time |
| Ice Box Canyon overlook | Overlook and trailhead into a shaded canyon | Cooler microclimate, dramatic narrow walls |
| Red Rock Wash overlook | Wide desert wash view | A different, more open kind of scenery |
| Pine Creek Canyon overlook | Overlook of a canyon with steep walls on both sides | One of the more dramatic viewpoints on the loop |
| Oak Creek Canyon spur | Short side road | Another canyon view without a full hike |
| Red Rock Overlook | Final overlook near the exit | A last look back before rejoining SR-159 |
How long does the drive take?
Driving straight through with no stops takes well under an hour, but almost nobody does that. Budget two to three hours if you plan to pull off at the main overlooks and take a short walk at Sandstone Quarry or Ice Box Canyon. Add more time for any full hike.
| Style of visit | Rough time needed |
|---|---|
| Drive-through, no stops | Under 1 hour |
| Stop at the main overlooks | 2-3 hours |
| Overlooks plus one short hike (Calico Tanks) | 3.5-4.5 hours |
Should you drive yourself, or let someone else take the wheel?
If you want to set your own pace, stop wherever you like, and stay fully in control of the day, a self-drive option is the better fit. If you would rather not deal with navigation, parking, or the timed-entry booking yourself, a guided vehicle covers the same loop with none of that. Both routes cover the identical 13 miles; the difference is who is doing the driving and the planning.
The self-drive GoCar tour is built exactly for the DIY driver who still wants narration: a GPS-guided open-air car with built-in audio commentary calls out the stops as you reach them, so you get the mile-by-mile story without having to look anything up yourself, and you are still the one behind the wheel. If you would rather not drive or navigate at all, the guided scooter tour puts a guide in charge of the route, the timing, and the timed-entry logistics, with a practice session before you set off and a guide narrating the stops as you pass them.
This page exists for the reader still deciding how to see the loop. If you already know you want to drive it yourself, the GoCar page has live availability; if you have decided a guide should handle it, the scooter tour page does the same. Either way, our guided Red Rock Canyon tours cover this exact route.
Best stops for photos
High Point Overlook gives the widest single view on the loop, Calico I and II catch the sandstone at its most vivid in morning light, and Pine Creek Canyon offers the most dramatic sense of scale with steep walls on both sides. Early morning and the last hour before sunset are the best light for all three.
Common mistakes on the Scenic Drive
The mistakes that come up again and again are treating the loop as a quick 20-minute drive-through, forgetting the timed-entry reservation between October and May, and starting too late in the day when parking at the popular stops is already full. Each one is easy to avoid with a little planning.
- Underestimating the time: budget at least two hours even without a hike.
- Forgetting the seasonal reservation requirement, covered fully in our timed-entry guide.
- Arriving mid-morning on a weekend, when Sandstone Quarry parking fills first.
- Skipping Willow Spring or Ice Box Canyon because they are not the first stops. Both reward the short detour.
What if you'd rather explore beyond the paved loop?
The Scenic Drive itself is fully paved, but a side road off it, Rocky Gap Road, is not, and it is where the park's off-road terrain and the Red Spring Mountain Range come into view. The site's own 4x4 off-road tour uses that spur specifically, so if the paved loop leaves you wanting more backcountry, that is the natural next step rather than attempting it without the right vehicle.
What if you only have one hour?
With a single hour, focus on Sandstone Quarry and High Point Overlook rather than trying to complete the full loop; both sit in the first half of the drive and deliver the two most rewarding stops without doubling back. Trying to rush all 13 stops in an hour usually means stopping at none of them properly.
A tighter schedule is exactly when a guided option earns its keep: a guide who already knows the loop can prioritize the highlights in the time available, rather than a first-time visitor guessing which stops to skip.
