Page 127 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

LAS VEGAS  125

about 150 million years ago.
There are many well-maintained
trails across this wilderness,
including the Petroglyph
Canyon Trail, an easy half-mile
(0.8-km) loop, which takes in
several fine prehistoric Ancestral
Puebloan rock carvings. Here,
summer temperatures often
reach 112°F (44°C). The best
time to visit is in spring or fall.
The nearby town of Overton
lies along the Muddy River.
Ancestral Puebloan people (see
pp30–31) settled here in around
300 BC but left some 1,500 years
later, perhaps because of a long Rainbow Mountain in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
drought. Archaeologists have
unearthed hundreds of prehistoric the end of Nevada State Hwy National Conservation Area.
artifacts in the area since the 157. This is the more southerly A gnarled escarpment rises out
first digs began in the 1920s. of the two by-roads leading to of the desert, its gray limestone
Overton’s Lost City Museum of Mount Charleston off Hwy 95; and red sandstone the geo-
Archaeology, just outside the the other is Hwy 156, which logical residue of an ancient
town, has a large collection of runs to the Lee Canyon Ski ocean and the huge sand dunes
pottery, beads, woven baskets, Area, catering to both skiers that succeeded it. Red Rock
and delicate turquoise jewelry. and snowboarders. Canyon is easily explored on
an enjoyable 13-mile (21-km)
E Lost City Museum scenic road that loops off Hwy
of Archaeology v Red Rock Canyon 159. Beside the road are picnic
721 S. Moapa Valley Blvd., Overton. spots and trailheads for a series
Tel (702) 397-2193. Open 8:30am– Road map A3. Tel (702) 515-5350. @ of short hikes that cover the
4:30pm daily. Closed Jan 1, Las Vegas. Open 8am–4:30pm daily. area’s steep winding canyons.
Thanksgiving, Dec 25 & 26. & 7 Closed public hols. & 7 limited.
 ∑ redrockcanyonlv.org The visitor center at the start
of the road has informative
c Mount From downtown Las Vegas, it is displays on the Canyon’s flora
Charleston a short, 10-mile (16-km) drive and fauna. There are some 80
west to the low hills and steep to 100 bighorn sheep in the
Road map A3. Tel (702) 872-5486; gullies of the Red Rock Canyon conservation area.
(702) 515-5400 (Forest Service). @
Las Vegas.  ∑ fs.usda.gov/htnf
The Construction of the Hoover Dam
About 45 miles (72 km) northwest More than 1,400 miles (2,250 km) in length, the
of Las Vegas, Mount Charleston Colorado River flows through seven states on its
rises to 11,918 ft (3,633 m) out journey from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf
of Toiyabe National Forest, clad of California. A treacherous, unpredictable river,
it used to be a raging torrent in spring and a
with pine, mountain mahogany, trickle in the heat of summer. As a source of
fir, and aspen. Also known as water it was therefore unreliable, and, in 1928, the
the Spring Mountain Recreation Hoover Dam seven states it served signed the Boulder Canyon
Area, it offers refuge from the sign Project Act to define how
Las Vegas summer heat, with a much water each state
variety of hiking trails and picnic could siphon off. The agreement
areas. In the wintertime, skiing paved the way for the Hoover Dam,
and snowboarding are popular and its construction began in 1931.
(see p271). It was a mammoth task, and more
A range of hikes is available, than 5,000 men toiled day and night
including two demanding trails to build what was, at 726 ft (221 m),
that snake up to the summit: the world’s tallest dam. Named after
the 11-mile (18-km) North Loop Herbert Hoover, the 31st president
Trail and the 9-mile (14-km) of the US (1929–33) and an avid
South Loop Trail. Easier walks on supporter of the project, it contains
the forested slopes are also 17 hydroelectric generating units.
marked, including a one-hour
hike up Cathedral Rock. This The mammoth Hoover Dam
walk starts from a picnic area at

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