Red Rocks without a car??

Hi,

I have a bit of a problem... I got my drivers license suspended due to a heavy right foot (they dont like speeding here in Sweden). I thought I was getting it back in the beginning of April but it turns out I calculated the suspension time incorrectly and I'll get it back in May. The problem is that my friend (who doesn't have a license) and I have flights and all paid for to Vegas. I can't change them as my company is sending me for work and my friend is comming after my assigned work in mid April.
Are there turist busses that go to Red Rocks and through the scenic loop that you can get tickets for? Other local transportation that could get me to the entrance and then hitch hike? Stay at the camp ground and hope for rides?
Does anybody have any tips at all that could help besides getting Taxis? I really dont want to go anywhere else, I love Red Rocks...

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Sorry about the lead foot, I have the same problem sometimes. Check Hotwire for van rental and you can sleep in the van. (never mind, no license, I see). What dates are you going out there? I will be out there for the 1st week of April. Best of luck. You should be able to find people to pick you up, just stick up a cam instead of a thumb. Have fun!!

Look for friendly campfires and make friends with your neighbors at the campsite. Pick routes that approach from common parking areas like pine creek. I'm about to fly to Vegas and head north to Zion sans car. Doh!

Good luck!

If you are planning on going directly to Red Rock from the airport, I believe BellTrans would cost 6.00 for a ride from the airport to off strip casinos; take it to the Red Rock Casino, and start walking west on highway 159 towards Red Rock. Some other climbers, or hikers on their way to Red Rock may feel sorry for you and offer you a ride through the loop. Or you can walk to the campground from the Red Rock Casino; it's not that far of a walk. If your social skills are good, you'll be sure to make friends at the campground for rides; lots of climbers around this time of year.

If you are okay with taking the city bus (CAT Bus) in Vegas; the 206 westbound on Charleston Blvd. will take you all the way up to the Red Rock Casino. That's as far as it goes.

If you are on the strip, take the double-decker "Deuce" bus to Charleston Blvd, then hop on the 206 westbound to Red Rock Casino.
It'll be about a 45 minute ride on the bus.

Bus schedule

An obvious oversight in ride selection (wink)...that fuqn pink tour thiingy.

Laughing, you gotta want it Michael!
Have a great trip

Thanks for the tips. The 206 westbound will get me to the casino, from there it can't cost a fortune with a taxi.
Dates I'll be there for climbing are from 18th of April to 25th. Anybody around that time? Will pay gas money ofcourse.
How about mopeds/scooters? Do you have to have a license for those kind of things in the US? If not, can you rent them anywhere?
Whats the pink thingy? Any idea where I can find schedules for it? Yes, I do want it... I'll ride in or on anything. Dont know about my friend though, haven't dared tell him I won't have a license until I can present some kind of alternative.

Michael Collins wrote: Whats the pink thingy? Any idea where I can find schedules for it? Yes, I do want it... I'll ride in or on anything.

I'm pretty sure Brent was joking, but here you go.

pinkjeep.com/jeep-tours/las…

I'm curious...do they actually physically take your license away? Or is it just "suspended" in the "system" so if you get caught you are driving without a license? If you still physically HAVE a license, do they really check the Swedish database to see if your license is valid? I mean, as long as you DON'T SPEED in Vegas...or drive drunk or break any laws...would anyone KNOW you don't have a license?

I'm of course not advocating breaking the law, I'm merely posing a hypothetical questions.

Wish our trips coincided, I'd give ya a ride, np.

Dove

You'd need a license, and a credit card deposit for any rental of scooters, or any other motorized vehicle.

You can rent a bicycle; there are a couple of bike rental places on Charleston Blvd. but they will be as much as renting a car; expect 30.00 a day.

There's Wal-Mart on Charleston, and Decatur Blvd. where you can pick up a cheap bike (100.00- 130.00) and a lock. For the amount of days you'll be climbing, it wouldn't be a bad deal, and you could probably sell it for a fast 40.00 or more on the street before you leave Vegas, especially if you keep the receipt. Riding a bike on 159, and through the loop is manageable; fast, and fun, and lots of other riders around.

Have a safe trip!

Yeah, they do physically take your license. Only have a passport as ID and that is not going to get me far. Bummer about the scooters, dont need a license here for the 45cc things.
That pink tour car costs a bit too much. Don't think they'd give a discount for jumping of at the entrance and hitching a ride.
I have considered bikes, but with all the gear on our backs, lunch and water... Don't think I can do it... And I have this weight belt around my belly that I dont remember how to take off. The loop is kind of hilly (atleast the first parts) and the routes I want to do are not at the first or second pull out. Are you allowed to cycle the loop from the exit against traffic? Would be still pretty far though.
Hmm... looks like it's time to confess to my friend. Might have to give up Red Rocks this time *sobs* If so, does anyone have any suggestions where to go if you're without a car? Joshua tree? Yosemite? Looking for nice trad lines around the 5.8 to 5.9. Open to suggestions.

Can't your friend just rent the car and drive? You probably already addressed/considered that and I just missed it.

Yosemite's a great place to be without a car; heaps better than Red Rocks. A bicycle's definitely the best way to get around the valley; the shuttle and walking are 2nd and 3rd, IMO.

--Marc

Michael,

The first 3 miles of the RR loop aren't bad; the only really bad part is mile marker 4-5, and a short, steep section you'll hit called "The Wall" after coasting down from the high point. After that it's about 6 miles of smooth downhill riding to Willow Springs, Ice Box Canyon, Pine Creek, and Oak Creek. You can walk your bike up the hard sections easily. It won't be that much of a pain.

Marc Horan wrote:Can't your friend just rent the car and drive?

He doesn't have a license. Not suspended though, he just hasn't bothered to get one. I'll look into Yosemite, thanks.
Gigette: Well, it doesn't sound so bad perhaps... I just remember the loop being rather long but that could just be because you have to drive slow. Any idea about riding against traffic though?

Michael Collins wrote:.... Any idea about riding against traffic though?

Well... you aren't supposed to, but I've seen people do it, and I seriously doubt if anyone would really care; especially if you exhibit an exhausted, or disturbed look on your face. If you ride in, and out before or after park hours there won't be any vehicles in the loop to worry about.

Wherever you end up, have a fun adventure; those are the most memorable!

FYI: It's only a little over 3 miles from the Red Rock Station casino to the campground, and the Calico Basin/Red Springs area, and only 2 more miles from the campground to the Red Rock loop road entrance. Easy bike riding to the RR loop entrance on 159. My out of shape co-worker/friends, fat cops, and the soccer moms from Summerlin do that bike ride quite often without difficulty; you're probably in better shape than you think, being a climber, and all. It's a beautiful ride too! : )

Gigette Miller wrote: Well... you aren't supposed to, but I've seen people do it, and I seriously doubt if anyone would really care; especially if you exhibit an exhausted, or disturbed look on your face.

I only care when they give me "that look" as I'm about to turn them into a hood ornament...

See folks do it all the time. I pass folks driving slower all the time. Can be a bit of a recipe for disaster.

If you ride against traffic (on a bike, its illegal), then you do run the risk of a car hitting you. Be super cafeful especially around some of the blind-esque corners that are down hill into traffic. Ie, watch your speed down those steeper sections around corners, as some cars will be going slow, and some will be passing fast, and you'll effectively run into a roadblock.

Last guy that flashed me that "disturbed look" prompted a yell in his direction that he was going the wrong way (and he must have been whizzing along at around 30+ mph). Indicated he heard me with that special one finger salute. Too funny....

Cheers!

Ooops, I almost forgot.... Be extra cautious on mile marker 9. I've seen the most wipe-outs of motorcyclists, and bicyclists on that turn. Usually from washed up gravel on the road, not so much from the Brians in SLC. : ).

Speakin' of cars on the loop road, is it just me, or are there a unusual number of Lamborghinis?

Saw a black one last week. And, before x-mas, there must have been 4 or 5 different ones on a photo shoot or something out there. Crazy.

Wonder what the, ahem, speed record for the loop road is...

These babies?

I don't know what the speed record is for the Red Rock Loop, but my friend Mike McGlynn who sadly passed away last year took me on a ride on his tandem bike once, and we clocked in at 45 MPH ( I didn't think that was possible) flying down the loop road. I was so scared, as I never went that fast on a bike. I just kept imaging wiping out, and flying off. A prison guard friend of mine got a ticket for going 70 MPH down the loop road. I go the speed limit, especially in areas where I know that children, animals, and bicyclists are sharing the road.

Despite what others have said about the no car alternatives, if it were me, I wouldn't bother. You're just going to wind up doing a ton of walking. Like vegastradguy said, and if you do you'll probably be limited to Calico Hills because the other stuff is going to seem a little far. I'm having a hard time understanding why almost everyone is sounding so positive about this?

If you're a strong biker, I think it'll be a lot less of a problem if you've got a light pack. The loop is actually a really nice ride if you've some road legs. But if you don't ride alot and you're lugging a pack, it's going to suck.

Gigette Miller wrote:These babies?

Yeeouch. Look at their inventory!

Not sure which model. Black one I saw had a cluster of four exhaust pipes right in the middle rear bottom of the car. Looked mean. And, very fast.

Some trivia from wiki:

"Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa is the only person in the world to own a converted automatic Murciélago. The car was given to her as a gift by her husband, but upon realizing she could not drive a manual transmission, Kobe Bryant had the car converted to an automatic. The estimated cost of the car after conversion and customization was US$400,000."

-Brian in SLC