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Though I wholeheartedly endorse the previous day trips from Vegas, I appreciate that all three demand a choice between rigorous hiking and visiting literally the hottest place on Earth.įor those partial to day trips from Las Vegas by car, visiting the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area – the region’s uncommon density of water, plants, and animals has attracted Native American settlers for millennia – offers scenic exposure comparable to other tours without the physical exertion.
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The tour concludes with a walk along the top of the Hoover Dam that provides a rare opportunity to view the spillway unavailable on most day trips from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam locations. Visiting this behemoth – which was completed two years ahead of schedule despite its Great Depression-era construction and use of untested engineering methods –begins with a powerplant tour entirely within the Black Canyon walls.
#Day trips from las vegas free#
Start at the Visitors Center, visit the Zion Human History Museum, take a ride along the Zion Scenic Drive on the free shuttle service, and enjoy the RiverWalk. It is the perfect distance for a day trip with lots of time at the destination. Today, the Hoover Dam harnesses the mighty Colorado River into America’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, that provides water to over 20 million people in California, Arizona, and Nevada.įurther cementing its importance to sustainability in the American Southwest, the Dam’s hydroelectric plant also provides power to over 1 million people. The drive from Las Vegas to Zion National Park takes just over 2.5 hours. Tour highlights include visiting Ubehebe Crater, a volcano that imploded several thousand years ago, Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and Rhyolite, an early-20th century mining ghost town that’s among America’s most popular and well-preserved. Fortunately, Death Valley offers something more interesting and thought-provoking than superficial hotness (unlike David Beckham).
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In fact, Death Valley retains the world’s highest reliably recorded air temperature at a ridiculously scorching 134 degrees Fahrenheit. Sandwiched between two mountain ranges near the California-Nevada border, the Death Valley desert is infamous for rivaling parts of Africa and the Middle East as the hottest place anywhere on Earth. Unlike some day trips from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon landmarks, this tour also includes optional upgrades to experience the Canyon by boat, helicopter, or the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass enclosure located 4,000 feet above the Canyon floor.Ĭheck tour availability & more reviews here. Upon reaching the Grand Canyon West Rim, you’ll have 3 hours to independently explore an area that includes incredible views from both Eagle and Guano Point as well as a wild west show and lunch at Hualapai Ranch.
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Starting with a 3-hour drive through the Mojave Desert and its Joshua tree forests, this tour first stops for jaw-dropping photo opportunities along the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge. Grand Canyon day trips from Las Vegas are hard-pressed to beat this action-packed offering.
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