Best Day Trip

Having this be our first time to Vegas...

Very curious and wanting ideas for how to spend our day trip out of Vegas.

IF we do Grand Canyon I understand that this is a long drive and that is ok as we%26#39;re in Vegas for 6 nights as it is.

Is there anything else you can fit into the same day as your travelling to the G.C? Or should we schedual two days for trips?

And also if there is somewhere else as well as the G.C that you can catch what is the route from Vegas?

I have heard...Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon? (or something along those lines)

Any information would be GREATLY appreciated

We%26#39;re leaving from our cold Canadian habitat in 9 days :)

Best Day Trip

When I saw the title of your post, my answer was going to be ';anything but the GC.'; Most people try making the Canyon a day trip from Vegas, which is a mistake. It is a destination by itself and deserves more than a marathon car ride and a couple of hours running around at few view points at the South Rim. You are considering the South Rim which is vastly better than the West Rim that many people settle for.

If you will be satisfied with a limited experience than it can be done in a long day. You pass over the Hoover Dam enroute which is also scenic. But you will not have time for the visitors center. Keep in mind that at this time of year some of your ride will be in the dark.

For day trips I think Valley of Fire/Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or Death Valley are all good choices.

Best Day Trip

It is a long drive to GC and you will be rushed if you try to do it in one day. I think most people prefer to make that an overnight trip.

If you want something closer: Hoover Dam/Lake Mead/Valley of Fire would make a great trip. Valley of Fire has fantastic sandstone formations that will take your breath away. You can just drive from formation to formation but to really appreciate its beauty you should hike on some of its short trails. Just bring water and wear closed shoes. You can even bring food and have a picnic there. You will not regret it.

Lake Mead has a nice paddle boat cruise that you can combine with VOF and Hoover Dam. It is relaxing and informative.

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

http://www.lakemeadcruises.com/

Red Rock Canyon is less than half an hour away. It has a 13 mile loop you can drive on with pull off points so you can get out of the car. It also has hiking trails. If is very nice but not nearly as great as VOF.

Mt. Charleston is wonderful but if you want to get away from the cold- this is not the place to do it. It is about 30 degrees cooler than the strip- blessed relief from the summer heat. There is a ski/snowboard resort there in the winter.

My daughter %26amp; I did a day trip to Valley of Fire last spring and it was a great place to see. The scenery is awesome and it is not too far to drive.

Thank you very much to all replies!

VP03...

I loved your reply! And I agree that it makes no sense to cram the G.C into one day, I LOVE scenery, and I think I would be disapointed if I did not get to do a lot of touring around there...

SO!

Having said that, we are interested in Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Valley of Fire

Is there a certain order we should do those in? And where should I find the best route?

THANK you!

tahitidreamer(and who DOESN%26#39;T dream of going to Tahiti?).

I have no sense of direction and I am always always alwayss getting lost-even to the closest destination. If I give you directions you will end up in Germany, for sure! I am going to leave it to someone else so you won%26#39;t be wandering around wasting time (the way I always do lol).

tahitidreamer.

I would hit Hoover Dam first because it gets busy in the afternoon. Then drive back towards Bolder City and there is an entrance to Lake Mead. Go all the way around Lake Mead to the North East section and there is a road that goes to Red Rock. It is on the map they give you when you enter Lake Mead.

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