Red Rock Cliffs Natural Preserve

Red Rock Cliffs Natural Preserve is one of several easily accessible areas inside Red Rock Canyon State Park.

With it's dramatic line of colorfully banded Red Cliffs visible from the highway, driving about 500 feet down a well-graded dirt road leads to a wide parking area. There's not much here -- just a vault toilet, a couple picnic benches, and a few weathered signs. However, those who take the time to explore the area a little bit will find a scenic and dramatic landscape of slot canyons, washes, rock fissures and towering cliffs in this quiet corner of the state.

The base of the Red Cliffs are a couple hundred feet from the parking area, and visitors can walk up the hard-packed dirt to stand in the folds of the sandstone cliffs. Behind the vault toilet is a basin with a grove of Joshua trees. And sitting at the far end of the parking area is a red sign announcing the Red Cliffs Nature Trail, which visitors can follow into the interior of the park between unique landscapes and cliffs, or just climb up the nearest hill for a wider view over the area.

For more information about the area's unique geological features, visitors can visit the nearby Red Rock Canyon State Park Visitor Center, located beside Ricardo Campground.

The parking area is open daily from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM. The nearest water is located at the Park Visitor Center and Ricardo Campground. Visitors should be aware that there is no cell service in the area.