The first conservation protection for Rainbow Mountain began when the area was included as part of the Desert Game Range (Desert National Wildlife Refuge) in 1936. This protection was removed in with the passage of Public Land Order 4079 in 1966.   Conservation-minded people in Las Vegas, however, began the work to obtain preliminary protection for this area in 1964 as a recreational resource. In 1967, 62,000 acres of the area, including La Madre Mountain was designated Red Rock Canyon Recreation Lands. It would take another 35 years of advocacy by individuals and organizations like friends of Nevada Wilderness to designate Rainbow Mountain as protected Wilderness with the passage of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 (see the Additional Resources page for additional information about the conservation history of this area).

The spectacular sandstone cliffs of Rainbow Mountain Wilderness form the dramatic backdrop of the Scenic Loop at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, located approximately 12 miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada. These 24,993 acres of Wilderness contain a rugged, eye-catching complex of canyons and multicolored ridges and mountain peaks. Elevations within the Wilderness range from 3,800 feet on the alluvial fans on eastern side to nearly 7,480 feet just south of Rocky Gap Road.