Many people are unaware of the splendor that exists all around Las Vegas within short 4 hour drive radius. From Red Rock Canyon to Hoover Dam, and Mount Charleston to the Grand Canyon. There is a whole world of outdoor goodness right out our doorstep.
Red Rock Canyon is the nearest “nature spot” to the Strip. It’s NW of central Las Vegas and is technically a National Conservation Area. The free drive through the canyon can take 20 minutes and is entirely desert beauty. You can also opt for the 12 mile loop for a few extra bucks. In the “it’s not deadly hot” months the road is riddled with bicyclists, motorcyclists, joggers and the lucky ones gallivanting in their half-naked convertibles. There are plenty of hikes for every experience level there. My favorite is Ice Box where you can sometimes find a waterfall at the end, but that is typically only in early spring.
To the east of Las Vegas is the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River has bore a national treasure that is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and averages a mile in depth. A drive over Hoover Dam is awe inspiring, partly for the magnitude of human ability and partly for the traffic. The adventurous can choose any number of hikes up, down or in between the canyon rims. Those wishing for an equally spectacular, yet altogether different view of the canyon can pay for Hummer or even helicopter tour of the canyon.
You probably know that the byproduct of many dams is the formation of lakes. Las Vegas is happy to have Lake Mead only a short 40 minute drive away. You can see may local driveways filled with boats and wave runners. The lake is down well over 10 feet from previous years and is becoming quite a scare for conservationists and watersport junkies alike. It is still open and ready for your adventure sport fix.
Further North West of town is Mount Charleston. With it’s own lodge and slopes it is the only real winter sport destination in this arid, desert area. It has an average annual snowfall of 120 inches, 11 trails and 4 lifts. Season passes are just over $500 for adults with discounts for kids, students, seniors & military.
Beyond these short distances one can find many other outdoor activites. Less than three hours west is Death Valley National Park where there is plenty of fun in the sun, as long as you bring plenty of water. Five hours west are lie the beaches of southern California. Four hours north-east one can drive into Zion and Bryce National Parks for some amazing forest and river camping.
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