Day Trips from Las Vegas, including the Grand Canyon and Death Valley

Leaving the excitement of the MGM Grand, Excalibur, Bellagio and Mirage etc is not always easy but sometimes it’s good to take a break from the Strip for a day or even just a few hours to get out and about and see some natural beauty. There are many places that are worth vesting easily within a day’s reach of Vegas and I have listed a few below. This is not meant to be an in depth guide the links to the parks will give you far more information than I could but hopefully this post may help you plan. Have a great trip – Simon

RED ROCK CANYON: Its about 20 miles west of Las Vegas out 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. The canyon did not have as much as we were hoping and apart from one main Red rock feature there was very little to make us want to go back. However one of my friends lives near by and says that if you leave the car in the car park and hike within an hour its spectacular, there us a an admission charge of $10, we did not pay as it was free on Christmas Day when we visited.

HOOVER DAM: Drive about 30 miles southeast of Vegas and go to Hoover Dam; the National Park Service offers tours there (@ $15.), though you can just park in the car park and walk over the Dam. Just before you get to the Dam there is a Casino called the Hacienda this offers great value food and is just the place for breakfast if you have left Vegas early, you can also take helicopter rides here over the Dam and Lake Mead. Go on past Hoover Dam to Boulder City and then to Lake Meade for a swim and/or to visit the new casino there. Also, there are tour companies that will take you on a cruise of the river below Hoover Dam.

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK: Drive about 35 miles north of Vegas on I-15 and go to Valley of Fire State Park, another scenic park area. This is my favorite NP within easy reach of Vegas it’s really nice and well worth the trip. When you are here you may see a wedding as many couples get married here but only in the morning as it gets very hot in the day. The landscape is like nothing else you will see on earth and you easily be mistaken for thinking that you are on another planet. The $6 entrance fee represents amazing value.

ZION NATION PARK: It’s a long drive to Zion (about 2-3 hours), but you can drive North on I-15 to Zion National Park and back in one day. It is worth the trip and the $25 per car admission, this like most other National Parks is valid for 7 days.

DEATH VALLEY: If you like to visit National Parks, 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 a good 3 hrs each way). Death Valley is has the lowest point in the United States which is also the hottest place on the planet. It’s the place where in the summer you can fry eggs on the rocks, you will see mirages and is home to some of the most deadly creatures on the planet. You need to take lots of water with you something like 2 gallons each incase you break down and you need to check that your car rental company will allow you to drive there.

GRAND CANYON: The drive to the Grand Canyon is 5 long hard hours on mostly two lane roads with trucks and campers (only a short way on I-40). You can drive there and back in one day if you leave early morning, like 6:00-7:00 AM. That will put you there about noon and you will have 4 or 5 hrs before starting back and getting back to Vegas about 11:00PM. Its worth considering staying overnight at the Grand Canyon not only to break the journey but also to allow you to see the Canyon at the two best times of the day sunset and sunrise this is a lifetime experience and is worth the investment in both time and money. If you are going to stay over try and stay in the park it will cost less than you think. The park has a $25 entrance fee per car.

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