I did a short 3 mile hike at Calico Basin as part of a Meetup event with a local hiking group. A couple of seasoned hikers who organized the event led a group of about 20 people on a tour of Calico Basin, pointing out significant landmarks and points of interest. Calico Basin offers hikers all the beauty of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (well, mostly) for free! Entry to Calico Basin is the exit before the main visitor's gate to Red Rock. It's marked with a sign and arrow (You'll be taking a right if you're coming from the Red Rock Casino way). Simply follow the road all the way down until you see a gate, proceed straightforward, and then you'll see picnic tables and a parking lot. Park. You made it!
The route we took was easy and suited for beginners, although there were plenty of opportunities for the more adventurous to scramble up and down some boulders. An 'igloo' could be seen on top of some boulders and you could poke your head in the 'bear cave' (more like a bat cave) after a bit of work. Part of the trail included hiking up the Grand Staircase and down the 'broken elevator'.
Calico Basin provided great scenery and was very quiet. It seems like it's a less traveled area. I didn't see any path markers, but the hike I took followed a trail of sorts. I'd definitely come back here for another hike!
YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #236