Overview

White Rock Road is a dirt spur-road in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area that connects the Scenic Loop Road with the Lower White Rock Trailhead (just off the highway) and the Upper White Rock Trailhead, which is at the southeast toe of the White Rock Hills and a few minutes walk from White Rock Spring.

The road is about 0.6 miles long and fairly rough, but suitable for carefully driven sedans.

White Rock Road provides access to the La Madre Mountain Wilderness Area, numerous hikes, some good birdwatching, and lots of grand scenery with a variety of desert vegetation types.

Link to Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ...this is a fairly safe drive except that careless drivers could scrape the bottom of their car on rocks. Drive slowly and avoid the bigger rocks.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. If the parking lot is full, drive on and plan to come back some other time; don't flatten more vegetation with your car. Also, even though this road is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Hiking Essentials.

Getting to White Rock Road

From Las Vegas, drive out West Charleston Blvd to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Pay the fee and drive 6.1 miles around the Scenic Loop Road to White Rock Road, on the right.

The Road

From the Scenic Loop Road (Table 1, Site 0525), White Rock Road turns right. The first few yards are paved, and drivers who want to stay off the bumpy dirt road can use the Lower White Rock Trailhead parking area on the left and walk up the road.

White Rock Road is bumpy, but careful driving avoids the worst of the rocks. The road runs north with grand views of the White Rock Hills on the left and the La Madre Mountain Range in the background.

Vegetation in this area is typical of higher-elevation Mojave Desert Scrub as it grades into the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. Here, the dominant shrub species is Blackbrush, with a nice sprinkling of Mojave Yucca and few other shrubs.

White Rock Road runs north for 0.6 miles to Upper White Rock Trailhead, which serves several hiking trails. A nice, short walk goes down and west to White Rock Spring.