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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Rock Canyon

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Red Rock Canyon is 20 miles (west of Las Vegas)

 

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.

 

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.

 

Especially notable is 7,068-foot Mount Wilson, the highest sandstone peak among the bluffs; for information on climbing, contact the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center at tel. 702-363-1921. There are picnic areas along the drive and in nearby Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, 5 miles south, which also offers plays in an outdoor theater during the summer.

 

Red Rock Canyon

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Red Rock Canyon

 

Take Charleston Blvd (you can pick up that street at the north end of the Strip) It’s a scenic drive-through park. Go early, not in the heat of the day; there's no shade.

 

Just drive west on Charleston Boulevard, which becomes NV 159. As soon as you leave the city, the red rocks will begin to loom around you. Off NV 159, you'll see the turnoff for the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, which marks the actual entrance to the park. There, you can pick up information on trails and view history exhibits about the canyon. The center is open daily from 8am to 4:30pm.

 

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (702-515-5367)

 

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

 

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 Mt. Charleston is 35 miles (56 kilometres).

 

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.

 

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.

Within a 1-hour drive of the Vegas Strip

 

Lake Mead Recreation Area

 

 

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 and boating. 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)

 

Hoover Dam

 

Distance from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam

 

Hoover Dam is located approximately is 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on the Nevada-Arizona border.

 

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, a trip to the Hoover Dam is one of the most popular excursions from Las Vegas.

 

The Hoover Dam stands 1,244 feet (379 metres) long, rises 72 stories high and cost $163 million to
build. There is a 55-minute tour and exhibit gallery. Hoover Dam is visited by 2,000 to 3,000 people daily, and more than 32 million visitors have toured it since it opened.

 

The National Park Service offers tours of the dam for around $15.

 

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.

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to Hoover Dam

 

The Hoover Dam is about a 45 minute drive from the Las Vegas strip. To get there from the Vegas strip, drive east on Flamingo Road or Tropicana Avenue to U.S. 515 South, which automatically turns into US Highway I-93 South. Continue on US Highway 93 South for about 20 miles to Boulder City.
In Boulder City, take a left at the second stoplight in town (there are only 2 of them)
Continue on US 93 to the Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border (about 7 miles from Boulder City)
(Note: The highway runs right across the top of the dam)

The Dam does not have a street address. If your car is equipped with a GPS navigator, use the coordinates: N 36.016222, W -114.737245 to locate the Hoover Dam.

 

Parking at the Hoover Dam

 

There is a parking garage is located on the Nevada side of the dam tucked into a canyon across the road from the Visitor Center. The parking garage charges a cash-only $7.00 fee.

 

From the parking garage, walk toward the dam and take an escalator or elevator that will take you down to a reception lobby of the Visitors Center where you can purchase your tickets. All visitors are required to go through security screening when entering the Visitor Center.

Call Hoover Dam (866-291-8687), for more information.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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. The 5 hour long drive is on mostly a two lane road. You can drive there and back in one day if you leave early morning, but that's stretching it. The Grand Canyon is one mile deep and 277 miles long.

 

One exciting way to view the Grand Canyon in a day is by helicopter, but you can also see it by bus.
Overnight excursions are available. Tours can take as little as two hours by non-stop helicopter or as long as 14 hours by bus. Depending on traffic, driving time may take up to seven hours.

 

Driving from Las Vegas strip to the Grand Canyon

Your driving distance and time depends on what rim you are planning to visit.

 

Directions from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim

There is a 4.5-hour drive from Las Vegas to the popular Grand Canyon South Rim. To get there from the Vegas strip, drive east on Flamingo Road or Tropicana Avenue to U.S. 515 South, which automatically turns into US Highway 93 South. Take Highway 93 south to I-40. Take I-40 east to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim.

Note: The distance from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim 278 miles / 447 km. Drive time is approximately 4 hrs 27 mins

 

Directions from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West Rim

The distance from Las Vegas strip to Grand Canyon West Rim is 120 miles or 3 hours driving time. To get there from the Vegas strip, drive east on Flamingo Road or Tropicana Avenue to U.S. 515 South, which automatically turns into US Highway 93 South.
Go southeast on US 93 heading to Kingman, Arizona. Take the Dolan Springs exit on to Pearce Ferry Road (26 miles) and turn at green Grand Canyon West exit sign (21 miles) on an unpaved road for the first 14 miles to the Hualapai reservation.

 

Tip: Always remember to check the weather.

 

Grand Canyon Tours

Save 50% Off the South Rim Bus Tour!

 

Canyon Dream Air and Land Tour

Grand Canyon SUV and Aerial Tour

Grand Canyon Ultimate Helicopter and Ranch Adventure

Grand Canyon West Rim Classic Deluxe Tour

Grand Canyon West Rim Drive, Fly, & Float Tour

 

Grand Canyon South Rim Bus Tour

 

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.

 

 

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	Las Vegas on $20 /day

 

 

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

 

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