By Tiffany Milligan – A Vegas Local
Some of the most beautiful national parks can be found
within four hours of Las Vegas. It’s hard to believe there’s ANYTHING out there
once you leave the city of Vegas, when all you see are
tumble weeds and sand mounds… but alas, there is life out there! Right in Las
Vegas’ backyard you will find, The Grand Canyon and Red Rock, and if you
venture out a bit farther you will find great treats like Zion National Park
and Bryce Canyon! So if
National Park
Vacations are right up your alley, but the “dreaded spouse” wants a
little taste of the city, Vegas can cater to both ;) See for yourself, the
parks are
EVERYWHERE! America the Beautiful is more than just a song, it’s the
name of the
annual pass
that will get you into over 2,000 National Parks and areas for a mere $80
(covering your carload or, if a per person fee is charged it will cover four
people…not too shabby I must say). Even better, if you’re older than dirt (just
kidding!), but really, if you’re 62 or older you can get a lifetime pass for
just TEN DOLLARS!
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Photo by Bruce
Fingerhood
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Red Rock
National Conservation Area
Red Rock is a favorite “
tour of the southwest” for
our local cyclists and hikers, as it is literally less than five minutes west
of Las Vegas and provides
great trails!
There are trails for all levels, from beginners to those “in better shape”…
LOL. Love horses?
Wild West
Sunset BBQ Dinner Ride will allow you to saddle up and roam the rock
formations, hopefully spying a long horned sheep along the way. Prefer to play “
Buffalo Bill” earlier in
the day??
The Maverick
Breakfast Horseback Ride is for you! However you prefer to explore
Red Rock Canyon, you can’t make a bad choice…well unless you’re one of the
aforementioned “elders”, with a bad heart, no history of exercise and you’ve
planned an eight mile hike to the top of the peak!
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Photo by Tiffany
Milligan
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Grand Canyon National Park is just a “
hop, skip and
jump” away in the neighboring state of Arizona…especially if you
leave Las Vegas and head there via airplane with a
Grand Canyon helicopter tour!
The South Rim
Explorer will get you there in 45 minutes (it takes a little over 4
hours to drive), provide a gourmet box lunch (isn’t that kinda contradictory?
Lol), allow you to take in all the views, and take a short hike if so desired.
If you’ve stopped in the Phoenix area, on your way to see us in Vegas, it would
be a great time to do the
Grand Canyon
Day Ground Tour. On the Day Ground Tour you will take the famous
Route 66,
spying a few sites along the way, and spending THREE HOURS in Grand Canyon
National Park. There’s no way to describe the overpowering wonder of the world
without diminishing its size, so bring your camera and take plenty of pictures!
Tours and
trips to Zion National Park take only two and a half hours by car
from Las Vegas! Now this is a
National Park
Vacation worth the trip! TWO HUNDRED MILLION YEARS have went into
the gorgeous, weather-carved, seven layered terrain! TWO HUNDRED MILLION!!!
Hiking Zion
is huge! If you only do ONE HIKE there EVER, hike “
the Narrows”!
This hike is through water (how often do you get to hike in water?!) and will
test your balancing skills. You will be warned that you need “gear” to do this
hike, but I managed with some tennis shoes and my backpack. You will get wet;
some places were chest high on me (I’m 5’9”). If you’re prepared to hoist your
little ones on your shoulders, let them join you, if not, leave this hike for a
time when it’s adults only! There are
many ways to see the scenery
of Zion National Park; horseback riding, jeep tours, driving tours, and biking
to name just a few!
Bryce Canyon
National Park
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Photo by Niamor83
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Bryce Canyon National Park must be included in your
tours of the southwest! Four
hours from Vegas, this can be routed into your Zion Park visit! Rent a lodge
outside of the park’s entrance if you want to stay overnight, and then plan on
spending a lot of time ogling over the
hoodoo
formations in the limestone! Rain erosion has molded the limestone
into many astonishing shapes that will boggle the mind. Hike a trail or walk
the rim and capture some amazing photos of the red and tan formations framed by
stark green trees and a deep blue sky (unless it’s cloudy, then whole “deep
blue sky” is out the window). If you want to explore Bryce Canyon National Park
in the winter,
rent some
snow shoes or skis and take a nice cross country tour!
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Photo by
InkKnife_2000
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Joshua Tree
National Park
Just three hours in a car and you can be in Joshua Tree
National Park; a great place to camp out at one of their
nine camping
spots. There are 12 self-guided paths that allow you to explore the
desert landscape and become acquainted with the fun Joshua trees that populate
the area… and have even made their way into the illustrations of
Dr. Seuss
books!
Keys View
Vista is 20 minutes off the beaten path, but if you go on a clear
day you MIGHT be able to see all the way into MEXICO!
Death Valley
National Park
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Photo by Bust It
Away Photography
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3.4 million acres of HOT DRY DESERT, just a couple hours
from Las Vegas, is what this park is all about. The name says it all. Death.
How appealing, right? Yet the fact that it’s the hottest and driest spot with
the lowest elevation in North America, drives one million visitors there
annually. Do yourself a favor, skip this park in the dead (ha, I said dead) of
summer. There’s hiking and biking and guided trail tours that are tons of fun
when the weather cooperates. Take the time to explore Furnace Creek and then
cool off with an inside tour of
Scotty’s
Castle House!