Pine Creek Canyon is located between Bridge Mountain (6,460') and Rainbow Mountain (6,924') in Red Rock Canyon. It's named so for concentrations of ponderosa and pinyon pine trees found in and around the canyon. Pine Creek Canyon is thought to be a remnant biotic community from about 1M years ago when the Las Vegas valley was possibly covered in similar woodlands. Visitors will enjoy contrasting open desert and a lush riparian corridor on the Pine Creek Canyon Trail.

The Pine Creek Canyon Trail begins in open desert at the base of the Aztec Sandstone Bluffs

Iron minerals within the Aztec Sandstone has been exposed to air and water causing it to 'rust', which gives the rock its many red hues

Native Americans used the pulp of beavertail cactus pads to soothe abrasions

Once in the canyon, visitors will find a very different riparian environment shaded by towering pines and a leafy canopy

The ebb and flow of ancient oceans and inland seas deposited layers of sediment with varying mineral compositions that eventually lithified into the striated sandstone we see today

Desert Globe Mallow has been found to be an effect defense against certain invasive plant species

While these pines are mature and healthy, the environment does not support reproduction well, and therefore the population's long-term health is considered tenuous

Virtually all cactus fruits are edible - and good tasting!

Water can be found in Pine Creek Canyon much of the year, ranging from small trickles to swimmable pools and even torrents during flash floods

View of Bridge Mountain (6,460'), Rainbow Mountain (6,924') and Mt Wilson (7,070') from the trailhead

Mariposa Lily range in color across the Mojave, typically lighter in the east and darker orange in the west

Ferns line the central creek corridor and cover damp, dark corners of Pine Creek Canyon

Desert Varnish is comprised of clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese and/or iron, as well as other particles like sand grains and trace elements

Desert wildlife is highly dependent on these riparian canyon microhabitats; visitors should try not to disturb or contaminate these delicate water and plant resources

Rabbitbrush favors soil with a relatively low alkali content

Looking down on the 'Triangle' junction at the canyon mouth, past which social trails leading into the canyon-proper and climbing walls branch in all directions