Some of the petroglyphs (pecked images) and pictographs (painted images) found in this area are thousands of years old. They were made by the ancestors to today's Native American people. Many are difficult to see from years of exposure to the elements.
The Nuwu (Southern Paiutes) are decedents of these early inhabitants. The Little Red Rock area is an important cultural site for the Nuwu. It is home to the plants, animals, and cultural remains of their people. If you visit the area, please do so with respect.
For decades visitors have defaced and damaged Little Red Rock. With little to no law enforcement, it was a popular party area. Inconsiderate individuals defaced petroglyphs, looted artifacts, littered the area with broken glass and nails from burned pallets, and drove on and through archaeological sites.
Things are changing. Law enforcement and archeologists monitor the area and graffiti remediation efforts have brought the area back to nature. We are hopeful that this area will be respected into the future. Learn more
Entering this area without permission from the land owner is trespassing (NRS 207.200). The area is regularly patrolled by local law enforcement.
Archaeological resources are protected by a number of different laws on private, state, and federal lands. For example, at this site, Native American burials and burial goods are covered under (NRS 383.180), the theft of artifacts under (NRS 205.0832), and graffiti and defacing the rock outcrops under (NRS 206.330).
Land owner, Howard Hughes Corporation, has turned their attention to restoring the area. They are working with members of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, a local public archaeology nonprofit - Nevadans for Cultural Preservation, professional archaeologists at Knight & Levitt, and local law enforcement.
The goal is to address the old damage and prevent any new damage from occurring.
What is with the construction?
The construction you see furthest uphill is water infrastructure. The community development is downhill from the area.
If you would like to volunteer your time and labor to this effort, contact NVFCP directly: