Covering an area of about 76 sq. miles, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is a national treasure renowned for its geologic features and unique sceneries that make it a premier destination for nature lovers and primitive camping enthusiasts. Located about 15 miles south of Las Vegas in Nevada, this Bureau of Land Management property offers the kind of peace and quiet that keeps the soul refreshed.
As you visit this BLM land, be prepared for fascinating views of beautiful landscapes, flora and fauna, as well as opportunities to enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. In addition, you should come along with your camera, because you’ll keep finding amazing things to take pictures of.
A visit to the Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site is the perfect way to begin exploring the park, followed by an adventure through the North McCullough Wilderness. Ensure you have your best hiking boots. If you’d like to adventure beyond the park’s boundaries, Lake Mead Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area are the places to go.
Disperse and primitive camping opportunities are available within this BLM land areas while the closest RV campground is six miles away.
Located about 15 miles south of Las Vegas, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is a BLM park that is easy to locate and access by guests. Interstate 15 and US Highway 146 are the major routes from which this NCA can be accessed from the west, owing to the fact that paved and gravel roads branch off them to various parts on the western end of the park. Accessibility to the northern end of the park is via Interstate 515, also via paved as well as gravel/dirt roads.
Within the park, however, the use of vehicles is not recommended, particularly for visitors that want to find their way to the top of the mountain. If you mean to drive to the different park areas, then do so in high clearance four-wheel drives and all-terrain vehicles. Off-Highway vehicles and bikes are also good for navigating the park’s areas. Alternatively, you can always go on foot or ride your horse.
There are no dedicated parking areas within this BLM land in Nevada.
For the RV campground available just 6 miles north of this BLM park, you’ll be able to get equipment rentals at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Located six miles north of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, Las Vegas KOA at Sam’s Town is a pet-friendly campground that offers RV camping opportunities for guests who are on vacation and exploring the BLM property. This campground is the perfect place to relax after exploring the various parts of Sloan Canyon NCA.
At the KOA campground, there are campsites that accommodate RVs and trailers up to 70 feet long and have electric hookups. Amenities such as pools with hot tubs, laundry facilities, showers, Wi-Fi, and barbecue spots.
Reservations are accepted for the campsites.
The main attraction at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is the Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site. This site, which is one of the state's most important cultural resources, is a premier rock art site. Over 300 panels containing 1,700 individual pieces of art are featured in this site and they all are believed to have been created by native cultures from the Archaic period to the historic era. As you stroll through the site and observe these elements, you are allowed to take photographs, but not to touch them.
North McCullough Wilderness is a wonderful place to visit at Sloan Canyon NCA. Besides the fact that this region offers plenty of recreational opportunities such as horseback riding, hiking, and wildlife viewing, this wilderness is particularly attractive because it covers the northern-portion of the McCullough Mountain Range. Here, guests get to see the remains of an ancient volcanic rock that reaches a height of about 5,500 feet. The surrounding landscape showcases the Mojave Desert with its white bursage, teddy-bear cholla, and other characteristic features.
Plants of various species are found within Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Even more, these plants have preferred habitats within the BLM park, so that if you visit the open desert in the park, you’ll find flora species different from those in the volcanic mountains, rocky slopes or the washes.
The areas in the park to visit to view these flowers and plants are the Hidden Valley, the north entrance to Petroglyph Canyon and the Dutchman Pass area. If you visit the park between late March and May, you’ll see the wildflowers in the park in full bloom. This colorful beauty is definitely a worth sight.
Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is home to the one of the best records of past volcanic activity in the Las Vegas area, owing to the fact that there are more than seven volcanoes that erupted in the area millions of years ago. All the volcanoes in this BLM land in Nevada are considered extinct, because they have not erupted for several millennia.
A unique area in the park is Hidden Valley which showcases various geological structures and features that are a result of the volcanic actions. Examples are breccia, dikes, joints and weathering.
If you like wildlife and you’ve got sharp eyes, you should be able to catch glimpses of black-tailed jackrabbits, desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed antelope squirrels, desert tortoises and woodrats, amongst other fauna that reside within Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
Although a wide variety of wildlife species are present within the park, the actual number is unknown. In any case, reptiles are the most common and numerous species in Sloan Canyon, so look out for them.
Hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians feel right at home at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area because the park has various trail systems that allow them pursue their recreational desires. Designated biking trails are present within the northern portion of the NCA and are open to all who fancy the sport. Horseback riders can make use of the designated trails in the northeastern portion of this BLM property, or enjoy cross-country equestrian pursuits to the south of the park. Hiking is allowed everywhere in the park.
