Hi, Nevadans!

If you’re a nature enthusiast or need a little getaway from the city, below you’ll find eight trails that offer creeks, streams, and waterfalls. And a bonus from me!

In other news: Remember a couple of months ago when the US Department of Justice named Las Vegas a “sanctuary city”? Now it’s named the entire state a sanctuary jurisdiction. It’s unclear why Nevada is on the list, especially with Gov. Joe Lombardo’s efforts to detain and deport undocumented people.

See you next week.

Visitors to First Creek in Red Rock Canyon can hear frog songs intermingled with the sound of a trickling waterfall. (Liz Yurko Carmer)

Have you seen the waterfalls that pour down canyon walls at First Creek?

Here are just a few hiking spots located within an hour of Las Vegas where you have a pretty decent chance of experiencing the serenity of a gently trickling stream or a rushing waterfall.

Not mentioned, but a personal favorite: Calico Basin. Calico Tanks is mentioned in the article, but just before the entrance to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and past a ranch neighborhood, there’s a little trail called Calico Basin. In spring and fall, after experiencing some rain, the creek and the vegetation grow, and you can hear the toads sing. Be careful, though: there are warning signs indicating that it’s a snake habitat.

I personally have not seen snakes, but I did see a desert tortoise once.

Joe Lombardo, Clark County sheriff and Republican candidate for Nevada governor, speaks with the media after voting, Nov. 3, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Even with the reinstatement of 287(g) this summer by LVMPD—a policy that deputizes officers to act as ICE, send deportation alerts, and honor ICE “detainers” or 48-hour holds—and a nearly 300% increase in ICE arrests, the entire state of Nevada has been reclassified as a sanctuary state. This applies to the whole state, rather than just Las Vegas, which had been singled out on the list in May. The DOJ declared that all listed jurisdictions underwent a thorough review of their “documented laws, ordinances, and executive directives.”

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, endorsed by President Donald Trump, quickly reaffirmed his state’s compliance with federal immigration authorities in a post on X/Twitter, following the announcement. He also claimed that the DOJ has skirted communication with his office after multiple failed attempts to contact them for clarification.

“Nevada is not a sanctuary state and will never be a sanctuary jurisdiction under Governor Lombardo,” the governor’s office statement read.

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