Background

The approximately 5,700-acre Calico Basin Recreation Area is a popular rock climbing, hiking, and equestrian use destination within the larger Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management Red Rock/Sloan Field Office (BLM) manages the recreation area, including the Red Springs and Kraft Mountain developed recreation sites, which are popular day-use areas and provide parking and trailhead access to the trails in the recreation area. Access to the developed recreation sites and the private residences in the Calico Basin is via Calico Basin Road from the Red Rock Scenic Loop (State Highway 159).   

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is one of Southern Nevada’s most popular outdoor recreation destinations. Over the past 20 years, visitation to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has increased rapidly, largely because of the expanding urban population in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. In 2019, 3.5 million people visited the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 250 percent increase since 2003. In 2019, approximately 700,000 people visited the Calico Basin, which is a 340 percent increase compared with 2003. The BLM expects visitation will continue increasing as the surrounding urban population and demand for outdoor recreation grows.

Project description

In response to the need for comprehensive, coordinated management and a long-term vision for the Calico Basin Recreation Area, the BLM prepared a Draft Calico Basin RAMP/EA per the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Draft RAMP will better enable the BLM to accommodate current and anticipated future recreational demand while minimizing user conflicts and avoiding adverse resource impacts. The BLM expects the RAMP/EA will address issues such as:

• Where and when certain recreational uses may or may not be appropriate.

• The potential need for new recreation infrastructure and amenities, such as parking, signage, restrooms, and picnic area facilities, and how to fund those improvements.

• The need to manage recreation in a manner that avoids impacts on sensitive biological, cultural, hydrologic, and paleontological resources in the area.

• Accommodating recreational demand consistent with the laws and regulations governing the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and La Madre Mountain Wilderness.