Without question, one of the best aspects of living in Las Vegas is the unparalleled access to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It’s a beautiful natural wonderland just outside Summerlin, Nevada. No matter where you are in the city, this one-of-a-kind sanctuary waits right on the edge for you to explore.

Red Rock Canyon occupies over 300 square miles of beautiful, untamed desert terrain. It’s nestled just outside of the city, within view from almost anywhere in the valley. For as relatively small as it is, it’s a sight to behold. It boasts jagged ranges of sandstone and limestone towering high above the plains.

In Summerlin, Nevada, where Artchway HQ is based, a quick 8-minute drive brings us right past the front entry point to the area. Here, numerous roads, loops, and scenic routes unveil the magnificence of the surrounding landscape. Suddenly, it seems, you’re just there.

This would be the place where we would find our inspiration to create Petraterra: The First Collection. From still photography taken throughout the Red Rock Canyon expanse, we later created graphic art pieces by editing those RAW images into visual pieces that later became a collection.

MILE ONE

Among the most popular activities is the historic scenic loop road, accessible from the main road after you enter the park. For a fee, visitors can pass through and explore a 14-mile-long route that winds its way past breathtaking mountain vistas.

From this loop, you can access various trails that set off in many directions throughout the park. When you immerse in the setting, it doesn’t take long before you feel like you’re in a world of your own. The parks’ rocky hills cloak the vast network of roads that lead you to its many hiking points.

When we first entered the scenic loop, we were immediately struck by the views straight ahead, that began at the mile one marker. One of the images we captured led to the creation of “Mille Unum,” a limited edition art print available in the Petraterra Collection.

You almost get a sense, right away, that you could be on another planet. Somewhere far from the flooded lights and sounds of the Vegas strip. Somewhere elusive and new. Still, it’s surprising just how isolated the area can feel as you hike deeper into the interior and venture around.

That’s not to say it is a somber isolation; the peace and tranquility the natural surroundings provide are an ethereal escape for any traveler. It feels like stepping back into a simpler time, or maybe a quieter time. Either way, it’s pretty great. When you’re there, you get this feeling right away.

SKYFIRE

The way the mountaintops tower over the flatter landscapes is made even more prominent by the sunlight changes in the afternoon. Since Red Rock Canyon lies to the west, where the setting sun creates visual shifts in light and shadow, Red Rock is one of the more visually interesting areas to photograph.

For us, sunset is a powerful and photogenic time of day. We hoped the visuals would suit our first collection well. From various stages of light exposure, we created a series of designs that tracked the sun’s movements. Some made it into our first collection, while others fell by the wayside. Many of the unused images simply couldn’t find a place in what we were creating.

Still, we knew this environment would inspire designs we could work with in the studio, and create visual pieces unlike any we’ve done before. Some of the finished prints would see the light of day, while others would just have to wait for their moment in the sun…

Take A Trip to red rock

In future posts, we’ll delve deeper into the landscape of Red Rock Canyon, and reveal some of our favorite places to go. If you’ve never visited Las Vegas, please make sure you add this natural wonder to your list when you do. We promise you won’t regret taking in the history, unique ecological environment, and immersive experience that you find. Whenever we go, we’re always reminded how intricate, intimate, and most importantly, inspiring, nature can be.

You can reserve entry to the scenic loop by visiting recreation.gov and scheduling your date(s) of travel.

Be sure to check out our full blog of resources at The Way Station. We’ve Officially Launched! over there and we have a cool new Petraterra Collection you’ll want to check out, too. It’s full of articles like Blazing The NFT Trail, The Three Galleries, A New Dawn for Art Venues, and a whole lot more. So head over!

Special thanks to redrockcanyonlv.org, blm.gov, recreation.gov, and southernnevadaconservancy.org

Special Thanks to Aaron Burden, Michael Rodock, Daniel Halseth & Dennis Buchner

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