The First Creek Canyon Trail hike brings you up along First Creek, through heavily vegetated Mojave Desert scrub, with striking cliffs as a backdrop, and offers a side trip to a hidden waterfall and plunge pool. I often recommend this hike for those looking for a pleasant hike that doesn’t involve too much effort. The First Creek Canyon Trail hike is in Red Rock Canyon park, but outside of the fee area and 13-mile loop drive, so it’s free and easy to get to.
Parking is free and the lot is large. Overflow parking is along the road.
There are no bathrooms at the trailhead or on the hike, but you can drive a few miles down the road to the Red Rock Visitor’s Center for bathrooms and refreshments.
What You Need For the Hike
This is a pretty easy hike, and you don’t really need any special hiking gear for it, fitness gear will do the trick. It can get hot in the summer, bring plenty of water either way.
There’s poor cell phone reception in the park, you you might want to take an emergency beacon if you have one.
Here’s the gear that I personally use, have tested, and recommend for this hike*.
This is a super-light and comfortable backpack that can hold everything you need on a hike, including a hydration bladder. It also works great as a general backpack or carry-on.
Make your photos stand out by using this lightweight, do-anything tripod. The Joby attaches your smartphone to trees, rocks, whatever you can find on the trail. Folds down compactly too.
* No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an REI link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps offset website expenses. There is no cost to you.
Insider Tips For the Hike
It’s exciting to see burros, but be respectful and keep your distance. Photo by Stan Shebs.
Keep your eyes open for the desert tortoise and wild burros, which are pretty tough to spot. Easier to spot are desert hares and ground squirrels. First Creek is a water source for many animals so you have a decent chance to spot something.
The waterfall is often dry, but it’s still impressive.
The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is a popular spot to see wildlife. It’s also a nice swimming hole.
First Creek Canyon Trail 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.
Gaia GPS is a planning and navigation tool that you can use on your phone, tablet, and the web. I use it on my phone when I need to interact with the map and know where my position is on it. I use it at home on the computer to plan routes. You can overlay maps such as public lands to find out free places to camp. It’s a powerful tool.
This thing does everything: maps, GPX tracks, compass, barometer, altitude, heart rate, blood oxygen, fitness tracking, sleep tracking, and the list goes on. I keep a GPX route on the watch so I can quickly glance down and make sure I’m in the right place.
The trailhead is easy to see from the road, and there is plenty of parking.Go through the burro gate to start the hike.A coyote was nice enough to poop by this cairn. There was a lot of poop on the beginning of this hike.The trail is well marked, wide, and easy to follow. Enjoy the mountains and Mojave desert scrub as you hike.At about 0.5 miles in, you’ll hit a trail junction. Go straight through.Keep your eyes open for wildlife. I saw a lot of desert hares and lizards, but nothing more exotic this time.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.When you get to that tree, make the hard right onto the smaller trail.Head toward the trees and canyon.The trail twists left, following canyon.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.The canyon will be to your right. You’ll see tree tops sticking up above the canyon wall to your trail level.Head to the edge and you’ll see the falls. No water today.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.
If you take a path along the creek, you might see some more water.The trail gets steeper as it climbs up toward the canyon. It’s still pretty easy to follow.The trail peters out as you get closer to the canyon. There are trails that continue, but they’re much more primitive.Once you’ve had your fill, just turn around and head back the way you came.
Did something change on this hike? If so, please contact me and let me know. I'll update the guide.