The camping scene: Both good and not so good. The good is that there IS camping here and it is clean and safe and convenient. The not so good is that it is too clean, too safe and too convenient. The 13 Mile Campground is a compound, a gated community guarded by overzealous retirees. These RV dwellers are volunteers for the BLM, and they take their job seriously, some may say a bit too seriously. what you get is elderly conservatives reigning over the young and the restless. Bad setup. If you act extremely mature, and follow a number of clearly spelled out rules your stay at 13 mile will likely be less aggravating, but, alas, much less fun too. And you're on vacation after all. Or just fed up with the rules and regs of an overcrowded world. Well, here at Camp 13 Mile straight, upstanding behavior is the standard against which all is judged.
Fees in 2005: $10.00 per site, 2 cars max, 2 week stay limit (which gets reset if you're gone for two weeks). The sign out on the highway announcing this as the 13 Mile Campground is no longer there.

Showers,food, gear: Get clean for a few bucks at the climbing gym in the plaza which also contains Desert Rock Sports, your local purveyor of chalk and tape. The store came recently under new ownership and relocated a few doors west. All on Charleston Ave.
Trader Joe's, the essentiel health food store for the less affluent, is on N. Buffalo off Charleston. Or if that's too proletarian, rest assured, there's a brand new Whole Foods Market on Charleston 4 blocks from the desert (add a block every 6 months from feb 05).

Lay of the land: Everchanging. The tidal wave called Las Vegas is soon at Red Rocks. So beware horned lizards and jackrabbits, you lowly creatures of the worthless Mojave desert.
Ahh, with that out of the way let's talk about the Loop Road, a brilliantly conceived idea from the recreational department at the local BLM office. 15 or so miles of one way asphalt designed to offer you the best vantage points of the escarpment. No need to stop. The tour takes you by all the attractions and the speed limit is 30 mph, so you take it all in as you creep along, bumper to bumper. Entry is controlled by a toll booth and gate that is locked between sundown and sunrise.
Climbers going to Oak Creek Canyon, home to some of the longest and most involved climbs, must wait for the gate to open and then drive 12 miles of circuitous roadway to get to the turnoff (or hike an extra 30 min on top of a 2-3 hour approach from Highway 159). Conversely, sport climbers done for the day at First Pullout, a mere mile and a half in on the Loop Road, now must do the entire scenic drive to get back on public road.
The Loop Road opens at 6am year round, but closes at different times according to the season. Entry is $5.00/day or $20.00/year.
The BLM Rangers will ticket you at least $100.00 for getting back to your vehicle after the Loop Road closes. But a free and convenient climbers late exit permit is now obtainable from an automated phone service as late as 4:30pm on the day in question. Just call 702 515 5050. Only valid for Icebox, Pine Creek and Oak Creek.
Black Velvet Canyon is down south, outside the realm of the Loop Road, making it the area most feasible for those of us that are uncomfortable starting a 10 pitch route midmorning, but the road can be rough after big rains..