Road ride · Motorcycle
Riding Red Rock Canyon's Scenic Drive
Cycling or riding a motorcycle on Red Rock Canyon's 13-mile Scenic Drive: timed entry, fees for bikes and motorcycles, hours, climbing and rentals.
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 6 sources · road bike, e-bike, motorcycle
Photo: Hermann Luyken / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
- Distance
- 13-mile one-way loopSource: Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association: visitor information (hours, cycling rules)
- Climbing
- About 2,245 ft (Las Vegas Cyclery route)Source: Las Vegas Cyclery: rides from the shop (Red Rock loop climbing)
Each stat shows its source. We only list figures a land manager or named source publishes; a missing stat means we found no published figure.
Conditions at the start
NWS forecast for this spot ↗The live National Weather Service forecast for the start of Riding Red Rock Canyon's Scenic Drive loads here. If it doesn't, use the NWS link.
Route map
Skip the map
- Mapped distance
- 12.4 mi, start to finishMeasured along the OpenStreetMap line; published figure: 13-mile one-way loop
- Start
- Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, off Charleston Blvd (SR-159)Map start: the Scenic Drive entrance off SR-159 (Charleston Blvd), at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center
- Elevation
- 3,672–4,773 ftLow and high points, USGS 3DEP
- Surface
- 100% pavedFrom OpenStreetMap surface tags
Slide or use arrow keys to read the elevation at any point.
Turn by turn
- 0.0 miStart at the Scenic Drive entrance off SR-159 (Charleston Blvd), at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center. Head northwest on Red Rock Scenic Drive.
- 0.2 miBear right onto Scenic Loop Drive.
- 7.3 miPass the junction with Rocky Gap Road.
- 12.4 miThe Scenic Drive ends at SR-159 (Charleston Blvd).
Directions are generated from the OpenStreetMap ways on the map. Check signs and closures with BLM: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area before you ride.
Download GPX for Riding Red Rock Canyon's Scenic DrivePlan your own ride
Rules, fees and who runs it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
- Bicycle entry
- $8 per day, no reservation
- Motorcycle entry
- $10 per day + timed entry Oct 1–May 31
- Services on the loop
- No water, air or repair
The Scenic Drive is the ride most people mean when they say they rode Red Rock. It’s a 13-mile, one-way paved loop through the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 17 miles west of the Strip on Charleston Boulevard (State Route 159). The Bureau of Land Management runs the area. The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, which works with the BLM, publishes the fees and rules quoted here.
What it costs and who needs a reservation
The fee depends on how you arrive. These are the per-day rates the Interpretive Association lists:
| How you enter | Fee per day | Timed-entry reservation? |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle (including e-bike) | $8 | No |
| Motorcycle | $10 | Yes, Oct 1 to May 31, 8 AM to 5 PM |
| Car | $20 | Yes, same window |
| On foot | $5 | No |
A Red Rock annual pass costs $50, and the fee booth takes cash or card. If you’re booking timed entry and already hold an annual or lifetime pass, such as a Senior pass, the fees page says you enter the pass type at checkout.
Timed entry is the part that catches motorcyclists. From October 1 through May 31, every vehicle entering between 8 AM and 5 PM needs a reservation from Recreation.gov, and a motorcycle counts as a vehicle. Recreation.gov says bicycles and walk-ins don’t need one; they pay at the booth or show a pass. If you’re riding a motorcycle in season and don’t have a slot, arrive before 8 AM or after 5 PM, while the loop is still open. Never skip the booth.
Hours
The Scenic Drive opens at 6 AM all year. Closing time moves with the season:
| Months | Hours |
|---|---|
| November to February | 6 AM to 5 PM |
| March | 6 AM to 7 PM |
| April to September | 6 AM to 8 PM |
| October | 6 AM to 7 PM |
The ride itself
The loop climbs away from the fee booth and the visitor center, then drops back down to State Route 159. Las Vegas Cyclery, a shop about two miles from the canyon, lists 2,245 feet of climbing on its route inside the loop and calls it a challenging ride. Plan on the climbing being the slow part and the descents being the part that needs your attention.
Things road riders should know:
- There’s no water, air or repair on the loop. Fill bottles before the booth. The visitor center at the start is the last sure stop.
- Bikes ride with traffic. The visitor information page says cyclists follow motor-vehicle rules on the Scenic Drive. That means riding the one-way direction only and stopping at stop signs.
- Watch for gravel and rockfall, especially after rain and on the descents.
- Cars stop without warning. Drivers pull into overlooks and trailheads on short notice. Leave space and watch for doors.
- Nevada law applies. Under NRS 484B.777 you ride as far right as practicable, but you can take the lane when it’s too narrow to share or there’s debris. Our bicycle law guide has the details.
You can also make it a longer day. Las Vegas Cyclery publishes a medium-difficulty road route that leaves its Summerlin shop, rides the loop, and stops in the village of Blue Diamond to refuel before heading back. The roads outside the conservation area carry faster traffic, so that version suits riders who are already comfortable on open highway.
Motorcycles
For riders on a motorcycle, the Scenic Drive is a sightseeing loop, not a road for making time. It’s one-way, it’s shared with cyclists on every climb, and cars pull in and out of overlooks constantly. Book timed entry for in-season daytime visits, pay the $10 fee, and expect to share the climbs with people on bicycles. Nevada’s helmet law applies here like anywhere else; see Nevada motorcycle laws.
When to go
Summer afternoons in the canyon are very hot and there’s no shade on the climb. In summer, start at the 6 AM opening. Check the heat guide before planning a ride between May and September.
Renting a road bike nearby
Las Vegas Cyclery in Summerlin rents road bikes and e-road bikes by the business day, and Trek runs a rental center in the village of Blue Diamond, south of the loop’s exit on State Route 159. Rates and addresses are on our bike shops page.