Las Vegas Day Trips to National Parks
Taking Las vegas day trips to national parks is a perfect way to escape the city for a day! It will help you relax, unwind and get ready to party again! The parks we are recommending below are all located within driving distance from Vegas. You can either rent a car and get a map or a GPS (it's usually recommended to have both!) or take a guided tour where you can also learn about the history of the parks, Indian legends, and just fun facts.
Grand Canyon |
Red Rock Canyon |
Bonnie Springs
|
Spring Mountain |
Death Valley |
Valley of Fire |
El Dorado Canyon
|
Zion National Park |
Bryce Canyon
|
Monument Valley |
Las vegas day trips to Grand Canyon National Park
Of course when we talk about Las vegas day trips to national parks, we cannot not ignore the Grand Canyon - one of the most amazing parks in the world! There are plenty of ways to get to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas - including by helicopter and an airplane. Our preferred way is Pink Jeeps - very comfortable vehicles made just for the purpose of tours. They let you relax, listen to the commentary of exceptionally professional tour guides. Once at the Grand Canyon, you can get to its bottom by helicopter, take a rafting trip, a hike down to the bottom (not for everyone!), or a mule ride. There are 3 points you could visit at the Grand Canyon - West (this is where the famous Skywalk glass bridge is located), North Rim (closed in winter) and South Rim - the most popular place, open year-round.
Admission:
Hotels located near Grand Canyon South Rim in Tusayan, Arizona:
Las Vegas Day Trips To Red Rock Canyon
Address: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Map
Admission: $7 per car, free if you are hiking.
Red Rock Canyon is a gorgeous park located only about 30 minutes from Las Vegas, and it's one of those hidden gems locals are proud of! They come here to hike, camp, bike, ride horses and rock climb. If you don't want to do all that, you can just drive and take a tour around the Scenic Loop that shows the best of the canyon. Red Rock Canyon is famous for unique geological rock formations that have a bright red color. You can also find here rock paintings left by the ancient Indians, unique Joshua trees that are so big they will blow you away, and of course, animals. Red Rock Canyon is also home to 2 ranches that offer attractions of their own and are worth a visit - Bonnie Springs and Spring Mountain State Park.
There are plenty of Las vegas day trips to Red Rock Canyon that include hiking, biking, tours by bus, exotic cars and even three-wheel scooters!
Image credit: pdphoto.org
Las vegas day trips to Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada
Inside Red Rock Canyon Address: 16395 Bonnie Springs Road, Las Vegas, NV Map
A visit to Bonnie Springs, or Old Nevada - one of two ranches located inside Red Rock Canyon, will take you and your kids back in time to the Wild West. It will remind of cowboys, saloons and gun fights we've seen in Western films. Las vegas day trips to Bonnie Springs will show you the best attractions - the "old feel" historical buildings, a petting zoo, horseback riding and a cowboy melodrama with bank robbery, chase and hanging of the robber - fun for kids. Horseback riding is available only for adults and kids age 6 and older.
Admission: $5 on weekdays, $7 on weekends.
Las vegas day trips to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
Inside Red Rock Canyon Address: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Map
Admission: $6 per vehicle, not including tours and Super Summer Theater
Spring Mountain Ranch is located in the desert at the base of the scenic Red Rock Canyon. It's one of those natural places where you can relax, hike, have barbecue and just connect with nature. The ranch used to belong to millionaire Howard Hughes, and many historic buildings are still preserved. You can either take a tour or see the buildings by yourself. Another attraction of the ranch is its picturesque Lake Harriet. In summer, you can catch one of Super Summer Theater shows under the open sky.
Las vegas day trips to Valley of Fire National Park
Address: 29450 Valley of Fire Road, Overton, NV Map
Admission: $10.00 per vehicle per day
Valley of Fire is so unusual you will get a feeling that you are visiting another planet - Mars, perhaps. The rock formations have very unusual shapes - they look like scuptures in a museum under an open sky. The most famous statue is the Elephant Rock (on the picture). In bright sun, when sun rays are reflected from the surface of the rocks, they appear to be on fire.
Valley of Fire is so beautiful that it's one of the poplar destinations for outdoor weddings or even helicopter weddings! But if you are not ready for the big step yet (ha-ha), you can find excellent ATV and dune buggy tours. Riding a Mini Baja Buggy is actually safe for kids 3 years and older, and it's hard to think of a better way to spend a day out thank taking one of these Las vegas day trips to Valley of Fire!
Las vegas day trips to Techatticup Mine and El Dorado Canyon
Address: 16880 Nevada 165, Searchlight, NV Map
El Dorado Canyon, located at the Lake Mojave, is a picturesque little oasis in the middle of the desert. However, it's mostly famous for the Techatticup Mine, that is now a historic site. The mine is part of the dark past of Nevada - it took away many lives during the Great Gold Rush in the 1800s.
If you are coming to El Dorado Canyon without kids, don't miss your chance to take an ATV tour of the one of the most picturesque canyons close to Las Vegas!
Las vegas day trips to Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is one of the most fascinating, albeit the hottest park located within about 2,5 hours drive from Las Vegas. Death Valley is comprised of several unique places that you won't see anywhere else in the world. For example, there is a region called Badwater Basin - the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere. It's bottom is covered with hexagonal salt formations.
Other points of interest in Death Valley are Ubehebe Crater formed during a volcano eruption, Devil's Golf Course with salt formations completely different from those in Badwater Basin, Racetrack Playa with stones that move all by themselves. If you decide to take Las Vegas day trips to Death Valley, don't miss the opportunity to visit the ghost town of Rhyolite and it's Goldwell Open Air Museum.
Admission: $20 for 7 Days per vehicle, or $10 for 7 day per individual.
If you want to spend a night or a few days in Death Valley, here are some great hotels:
Image credit: pdphoto.org
Las vegas day trips to Zion National Park
Address: Utah Route 9, Springdale, UT Map
Admission: $25 per vehicle for 7 days, or $12 per individual for 7 days.
Zion National Park is an incredibly beautiful gem located in Utah. It would make a perfect day trip if you want to escape all the hustle and bustle of Vegas.
Zion is famous for interesting rocks created by the Virgin River. Among points of interest in Zion are: Canyon Overlook Trail, Observation Point from where you can see the stunning Angel's Landing, hiking down The Narrows trails, and for the most experienced with permission - The Subway hiking trail that looks like a tunnel.
If you want to spend a night or a few days in Zion National Park here are hotels located nearby:
Las vegas day trips to Bryce Canyon National Park
Admission: $25.00 per vehicle per week, or $12.00 per individual.
While we are on the subject of Las vegas day trips to national parks, we have to mention Bryce Canyon - one of the most photographed parks in the world! Since they are all located pretty close, you can combine your visit to Bryce Canyon with a visit to Zion National Park and to the Monument Valley (described below).
Bryce Canyon is famous for very special rock formations called "Hoodoos" which look like tall, thin pyramids. Paiute Indians believed that these Hoodoos are actually people turned into stone for bad deeds. The flora at Bryce Canyon is also very unique and consists mostly of fir trees that look incredible in winter, all covered in snow. If you hike down Bryce Canyon - you will be amazed by it's beauty! Other activities at the canyon include snow shoeing in winter and horseback riding in summer. Thanks to very light pollution, at night in Bryce Canyon you can see stars without having to look up in the sky - the Bryce Canyon claims to have one of the brightest skies in the world!
If you want to spend a night or a few days in Bryce Canyon here are hotels located nearby:
and here is a campground located at Bryce Canyon:
Image credit: pdphoto.org
Las vegas day trips to Monument Valley National Park
Admission: $5.00
We are getting farther and farther from Las Vegas, but this is the last national park reachable within one day! Monument Valley is located on the territory of Navajo Indian Reservation, and it's oh so familiar to many of us who like Wild West movies! Because of it's picturesque and imposing rocks that look like monuments, the valley is a beloved spot of Hollywood producers! Some of the movies shot in Monument Valley include: Wild Wild West (1999), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Mission: Impossible II (2000). Other than unbelievable landscape, the valley offers hot air balloon tours and horseback riding.
Here are hotels located in the Monument Valley:
Image credit: pdphoto.org
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