Las Vegas Day Trips

 

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind is mega casinos and big shows, but there is much more. If you are adventurous or just want to make more out of your trip to Vegas, you will soon find there is a more to see just a few miles from the city. The mild Las Vegas desert climate offer a variety of recreational activities

 

Many visitors to Las Vegas take a day and go to see the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Canyon

 

 

Distance from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon is 5 hours drive.

 

No other destination has as many viewing options as the Grand Canyon - after all, it's one of the most popular national parks in the nation. We are adding a trip to the Grand Canyon on our list of one day trips, but honestly, that's really stretching it. The Grand Canyon is in Arizona and it's approximately 300 miles from Las Vegas.

 

More Information about the Grand Canyon

Discounts trips to the Grand Canyon

Driving directions to the Grand Canyon

Things to do at the Grand Canyon

 

Tip: Always remember to check the weather

 

Hoover Dam

 

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam is 34 miles

 

The Hoover Dam is an engineering wonder of the modern world. Constructed between 1931 and 1936 on the Colorado River at the Nevada-Arizona border. Hoover Dam is located approximately 34 miles (54.4 km) southeast of Las Vegas on the Nevada-Arizona border. A trip to the Hoover Dam is one of the most popular excursions from Las Vegas.

 

More Information about the Hoover Dam

Discounts trips to the Hoover Dam

Driving directions to Hoover Dam

Video tour of the Hoover Dam

 

Other interesting things to do while you are out there, go on past Hoover dam to Boulder City. A city that was created by the workers who built the dam and then to Lake Meade. Also, there are tour companies that will take you on a cruise of the river below Hoover Dam.

 

Red Rock Canyon

 

 

Just 20 miles west of the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas but worlds away from the Strip are 500-million-year-old red hills visible from most parts of Las Vegas Valley. As soon as you leave the city, the red rocks will begin to loom around you. Nevada's first National Conservation Area, Red Rock Canyon is open to the public year-round and draws more than one million people each year. It has a visitors center and a variety of plant and animal life. The National Conservation Area offers 30 miles of hiking tails and rock-climbing opportunities, picnic areas, a visitor center with exhibit rooms and a bookstore.

 

More Information about the Red Rock Canyon

Discounts trips to the Red Rock Canyon

Driving directions to Red Rock Canyon

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area hours of operation and fees

Video Clip of the Red Rock Canyon

 

Covering nearly 200,000 acres, the Visitors Centre at the Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area is the start of a 13-mile (21-kilometre) panoramic scenic route that winds through a mountainous region that spans 130 square miles of Mojave Desert.

 

Hint: A visit to Red Rock Canyon can be combined with a visit to Bonnie Springs Ranch.

 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

 

 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Scenic Byway

Distance from Las Vegas to Lake Mead is 30 miles (southeast of Las Vegas)

 

Damming the Colorado River created North America's largest man-made lake, Lake Mead. Just a half-hour drive outside Las Vegas, Lake Mead is a perfect place to visit in warm weather for swimming, water skiing, fishing, boating and hiking. Also many people rent houseboats for a weekend or a day to explore the 550-mile (886-kilometre) shoreline.

 

Lake Mead Recreation Area is a popular playground, extending some 110 miles (177 kilometres) upstream toward the Grand Canyon. Its shoreline, backed by the spectacular scenery of cliffs and canyon, forms a perfect setting for a wide variety of water sports and desert hiking.

 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (702-293-8990)

 

Directions to Lake Mead National Recreation Area from Las Vegas

 

From Las Vegas, take U.S. 93 South through Boulder City, turn left on Lakeshore Road (NV-166) to Lake Mead.

 

To drive the scenic byway to Valley of Fire from Lake Mead, continue on Lakeshore Road and turn right on Northshore Road and then left on Valley of Fire Scenic Byway (NV-169). Turn right on Visitors Center Rd.

 

Take NV-169 West to I-15 South for your return to Las Vegas.

 

Bonnie Springs Ranch - Old Nevada

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Bonnie Springs Ranch is 25 miles (west of Las Vegas)

 

Located in the breathtaking Red Rock Canyon and originally built in the 1840's, Bonnie Springs Ranch operated for years as a working cattle ranch and watering hole.

 

Not far from Bonnie Springs is the replica Old West Town, know as Old Nevada. Visitors to Old Nevada can get a taste of what life was like in the 1880s. Bring your kids along because they will love the daily gun fighting cowboy show, along with the petting zoo, pony rides and miniature train rides.

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Bonnie Springs Ranch

Following the directions to Red Rock Canyon - above -

1 Gunfighter Lane, Blue Diamond, NV 89004

Phone: 702-875-4191 ; www.bonniesprings.com

 

 

Mt. Charleston

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Mount Charleston is 36 miles.

 

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind is desert and heat. Nothing surprises Las Vegas visitors more than finding out that a 11,918-foot (3,633 metres) mountain capped with snow seven months of the year is only a 45-minute drive northwest.

 

Mount Charleston is an evergreen island in the Mojave Desert. About 20 to 30 degrees cooler on the average than Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston is perfect for skiing, picnicking, hiking and horseback riding. In addition to year-round hotel accommodations and tours, full-service camping is also available from May through September.

 

Driving directions to Mount Charleston

Mount Charleston is within a 1-hour drive of the Vegas Strip. Take the I-5 South to the Blue Diamond cutoff (Highway 160).

Take Highway 160 to Highway 159 ( turn right to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park and Red Rock Canyon to visit these places.) Continue on Highway 159 which becomes Charleston Parkway. Take I-15 North to 95 North to kyle Canyon (NV-157) up to Mt. Charleston Peak.

Take 95 South back to Las Vegas.

 

Note: There is no fuel service available on the Mt. Charleston highway

 

Death Valley

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Death Valley is 135 miles (216 kilometers) south of Las Vegas in California

 

If you like to visit National Parks, then a trip to Death Valley should be on your list. This scenic wonder has the lowest elevation on the North American continent at 280 feet below sea level.

 

The blazing summer heat gives way to icy winter nights. Places with names like Devil's Hole, Bad Water and Furnace Creek give a pretty good indication of what to expect.

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Death Valley

Drive about an hour and a half south of Vegas on I-15 and take RT-127 to Death Valley National Park (total drive may be 3 hrs each way).

 

Death Valley National Monument (619-786-2331)

 

Valley of Fire State Park

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Valley of Fire State Park is 55 miles (88 kilometres) NE of Las Vegas

 

About 45 minutes northwest of the Strip, the blank desert gives way to scenic landscapes, hidden canyons and unique red rock formations, petroglyphs and the remains of an ancient Indian civilization.

 

The 36,000-acre Valley of Fire State Park derives its name from the brilliant sandstone formations that were created 150 million years ago by a great shifting of sand and that continue to be shaped by the geologic processes of wind and water erosion.

 

These are rock formations like you'll never see anywhere else and provides some of Nevada's most exquisite hiking. Nevada Park Service visitors center provides tourist information and the park is open to the public year-round .

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Valley of Fire State Park

From Las Vegas, take I-15 north to exit 75 (Valley of Fire turnoff). However, the more scenic route is to take I-15 north, and then travel Lake Mead Boulevard east to Northshore Road (NV 167) and proceed north to the Valley of Fire exit. The first route takes about an hour, the second 1 1/2 hours.

There is a $5-per-vehicle admission charge to the park, regardless of how many people you cram inside.

 

Valley of Fire State Park:
• Just 55 miles (88 kilometres) away, visitors will discover scenic landscapes of hidden
canyons and unique rock formations, petroglyphs and the remains of an ancient
Indian civilization.
Within a 5-hour drive of the Hotel

 

Zion National Park

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Zion National Park is 158 miles (north of Las Vegas across the Utah border).

 

Graced by colorful sandstone canyons, hot rocky deserts and cool forested plateaus are all part of Zion National Park. Zion Canyon is the largest and most visited canyon in the park. Here, the Virgin River has carved a spectacular forge into the red and white sandstone. The 2,000 to 3,000-foot canyon walls loom high above the river and the tree and grass-covered canyon floor.

Also a popular ski resort In the winter Bryan Head will tempt you to make large winding turns down the powder fields.

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Zion National Park

 

It’s a long drive 2-3 hour drive from Las Vegas. Drive North on I-15 to Zion National Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking in Las Vegas

 

If hiking is your thing, here are the few place close to Las Vegas where you can do some hiking.

 

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area - 22 miles away from the Vegas strip, provides rock climbing, biking and hiking trails, and scenic drives.

 

The Lake Mead National Recreational Area - 31.5 miles away from the Vegas strip, offers fishing, boating, swimming and hiking.

 

Mount Charleston - 43 miles away from the Vegas strip, has biking and hiking trails, horseback riding, skiing and snow boarding.

 

Use the Trip Planner below to find the best route to your destination

 

Start address

Destination address

 

 

Driving distances from Las Vegas

From	To	Drive Time	Miles	KM
Las Vegas	Grand Canyon South Rim	4.5 hours	275	443
Las Vegas	Grand Canyon West Rim	3 hours	120	193
Las Vegas	Death Valley National Park	2.25 hours	141	227
Las Vegas	Hoover Dam	45 mins.	34	54.4
Las Vegas	Great Basin National Park	4.75 hours	297	478
Las Vegas	Zion National Park	2.5 hours	155	249
Las Vegas	Reno, NV	7.25 hours	448	721
Las Vegas	Laughlin	1.5 hours	97	156
Las Vegas	Los Angeles, CA	4 hours	270	435
Las Vegas	San Diego, CA	5 hours	332	534
Las Vegas	Phoenix, AZ	5 hours	295	475

Las Vegas Strip Map

 

First Timers Tip

First-timers and visitors who are staying in any of the hotels on and off the strip and want to spend their time on the Vegas Strip, don't need a car. Take a taxi or Shuttle from McCarran International Airport to your hotel.

 

To sight-see, take the Deuce, the Trolley, Monorail or simply walk

 

For plans that involve anything outside the strip area or downtown, having your own car is highly recommended.

 

 

Las Vegas Tours	Things to do in Las Vegas
Free Attractions	Getting Around Las Vegas
Renting a Car in Vegas	Red Rock Canyon
Grand Canyon	Hoover Dam

 

Share your experience with us if you have taken one of these tours.

 

Comments to date: 1. Page 1 of 1.

Evan	Aug 8, 2011
During our 2008 trip, two of the tours we did were the Hover Dam tour, and the helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. The Hover dam tour was great. We booked a chartered tour on an air conditioned shuttle with a tour guide. She was friendly and informative, so the ride out and back was pleasant enoug... read more »

Name:

Comment:

Enter the letters & numbers in the box below