Hike First Creek Canyon Trail

Hike First Creek Canyon Trail

The First Creek Canyon trail hike is one I recommend to friends wanting to an easy yet fun hike around Las Vegas. It's in Red Rock Canyon park, but you don't need to drive the 13-mile loop to get to it, and it's free. The hike follows the First Creek up to a hidden waterfall and plunge pool. If you want to hike farther, the trail continues up First Creek Canyon.

In this Guide:

→ Trail Maps & GPX
→ What to Expect
→ Turn-by-Turn Directions
→ Video Hike Directions
→ Similar Hikes

Rating:

4 / 5

Distance:

2.1 miles (3.4 km)

Time:

1 hour

Difficulty:

Easy

Climbing:

220 ft (67 m)

Trail Condition:

Unmarked Dirt Trails

Challenges:

None

People:

Moderate

Known For:

Waterfall

Best Time:

Anytime

Dogs:

Yes

Bathrooms:

None

Parking:

Free

Trailhead:

First Creek Trailhead, Las Vegas, NV, 89161, USA

Park Website:

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Phone:

Hike Weather:

First Creek Canyon Trail Trail Maps

Google Maps trailhead:
First Creek Trailhead, Las Vegas, NV, 89161, USA

Hike Location

Hike First Creek Canyon Trail location — The First Creek Canyon trailhead is about 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip. A great thing about this hike is that you don't have to drive on the Red Rock Canyon park loop road to get to it. The trailhead is right off of NV-159.

3D Hike Map

Hike First Creek Canyon Trail 3d map — The First Creek Canyon trail follows First Creek to the south.

Hike Elevation Profile

Hike First Creek Canyon Trail elevation — The elevation chart is deceiving because the hike is so short. It only climbs 200 feet in a mile. It's a very easy hike that climbs gradually.

Interactive Hike Map

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First Creek Canyon Trail Map Downloads

Download a GPX file to use on your GPS device. GPS devices are great to plan and follow routes, and there are tons of free electronic hiking maps that you can use. But don't rely solely on electronic navigation, always have a paper backup. Print out the PDF below, get a topo map, and/or print these directions.

View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

First Creek Canyon Trail Directions

Do you have the right gear for this hike? Check out all the gear and clothing that I personally use and recommend. I've tested it all and cut the junk out so you don't waste your money.

What to Expect

Parking is free and the trailhead is well marked.
There are no bathrooms, but you can drive a few minutes down the road to the Red Rock Canyon park entrance and go at the visitor’s center.
The waterfall at the end of the trail is often dry, but it’s still impressive.
The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is a popular spot to see wildlife.
Keep your eyes open for the desert tortoise and wild burros.
This is a popular dog walking hike with the locals. Keep your eyes open for dog poop, coyote poop, burro poop, well, let’s just say poop.
Stay on the main (large) trail. There are some small burro trails that crisscross the main trail.
You can continue past the waterfall if you want to lengthen the hike. The trail splits apart and reforms many times, with two options, one down by the creek, and one on the ridge above. You might see some rock climbers heading to the cliff walls farther down. The trail gets more primitive as you continue.

Turn By Turn Hike Directions

First Creek Canyon Trailhead — The trailhead is easy to see from the road, and there is plenty of parking.

First Creek Canyon Trailhead — Go through the burro gate to start the hike.

First Creek Canyon trail — A coyote was nice enough to poop by this cairn. There was a lot of poop on the beginning of this hike.

First Creek Canyon trail — The trail is well marked, wide, and easy to follow. Enjoy the mountains and Mojave desert scrub as you hike.

First Creek Canyon trail — At about 0.5 miles in, you’ll hit a trail junction. Go straight through.

First Creek Canyon trail — Keep your eyes open for wildlife. I saw a lot of desert hares and lizards, but nothing more exotic this time.

First Creek Canyon trail — Okay, this is where you have to pay attention. At about 1 mile in, the trail forks. Hike to the right. You’ll also see the first tall(ish) tree on the hike in the distance. This is where you’re heading.

First Creek Canyon trail — When you get to that tree, make the hard right onto the smaller trail.

First Creek Canyon trail — Head toward the trees and canyon.

First Creek Canyon trail — The trail twists left, following canyon.

First Creek Canyon trail — Keep your eyes open to the right. You’ll see a steep path down to the plunge pool. If you want to check it out, make the side trip here. It can get slippery on the rocks down there, and in the winter there can be ice, so heads up. Otherwise continue.

First Creek Canyon trail — The canyon will be to your right. You’ll see tree tops sticking up above the canyon wall to your trail level.

First Creek Canyon trail — Head to the edge and you’ll see the falls. No water today.

First Creek Canyon trail — Continue on the cliff and you’ll see the pool below.

From here, you just head back the way you came. However, you can continue on the trail to make this a 3 mile round trip. The following pictures are from farther down the trail. Also note that as the trail continues, it splits and comes back together often. Unless you direction veers drastically away from the path of the creek, you’re probably fine.

First Creek Canyon trail — If you take a path along the creek, you might see some more water.

First Creek Canyon trail — The trail gets steeper as it climbs up toward the canyon. It’s still pretty easy to follow.

First Creek Canyon trail — The trail peters out as you get closer to the canyon. There are trails that continue, but they’re much more primitive.

First Creek Canyon trail — Once you’ve had your fill, just turn around and head back the way you came.

First Creek Canyon Trail Video

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Hike Turtlehead Peak Trail

One of the best hikes in Red Rock Canyon, the Turtlehead Peak hike is tough but rewards you with sweeping 360 views of Las Vegas and the surrounding La Madre mountains. The trail to Turtlehead Peak the shortest peak hike in Red Rock Canyon park, so be prepared for a workout and some crowds. It’s worth it, the views are incredible.

My Best Hiking Gear List

I hike a lot, and I go through a lot of gear. Here’s my best hiking gear list. This list features all the hiking gear that is worth your time, skipping the junk that you don’t need. I take a high-tech and low-tech approach, giving you the convenience of hiking with technology while offering low-tech backups in case the fancy gear fails. Everything you see in this hiking gear list is what I use on every hike that I do. I update this page regularly when I test and use new hiking gear.

About Hiking Guy (aka Cris Hazzard)

I’m Hiking Guy, aka Cris Hazzard. I like to get outdoors, walk, and then write about it. It wasn’t always like that though.

Las Vegas Hikes

Las Vegas isn’t really known as a hiking city, but it should be. You have incredible desert hikes in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Lake Mead National Recreation Area, big mountains like Mt Charleston, and then fun local hikes that are minutes away from the strip. If you need a an outdoors fix to counteract a booze filled night out on the town, there’s a ton of great trail options.

A quick note. These directions are meant as a guide for the hike, and not a definitive source. Conditions change, and the information here can be different based on time of day, weather, season, etc. There can be small side trails that you might see but I missed. I have made every effort to include all the information you need to complete the hike successfully. I recommend using this guide in conjunction with a map, GPX file, common sense, and call to the ranger station or park office. If you do the hike and notice something has changed, please contact me and I will update the guide.