5 Best Daytrips from Las Vegas

The moment we hear word “Vegas”, we tend to imagine a different world altogether.
A world, which is defined by Majestic Hotels, Renowned Casinos, World-Class Clubs, Spectacular Shows, Glittering lights, to sum up Flamboyant Lifestyle.

Normally anyone visiting Las Vegas atleast spends 2 days in this magical city.
But Vegas is all about night, as the fun starts in dark, so basically you have time to explore new places in the day time.

If you are wondering what those places are and what to do there, here is the ultimate guide to the
“5 Best Daytrips from Las Vegas”.

1.  Death Valley National Park

     Death Valley is known as the hottest, driest and lowest place in USA and probably also in the
     world. However, there is a lot more to it other than the above three words.

     Situated at 2.5 hours from Vegas, this national park has one of the most dramatic landscapes in
     entire USA, with more than eight different colors of mountains, layers of salt crust forming the 

     lowest point of USA, Sand dunes reaching upto 100 feet, volcanic crater and vast areas of desert.

     There is an entry fee of $30 per vehicle.

     The main attractions that you can cover in a day are:
     - Badwater Basin – The lowest point in USA, but quite dramatic and beautiful.
     - Devil's Golf Course – Not a photogenic place but the structure of land is unique and captivating.
     - Zabriskie Point – One of the best points of the national park. You get to see different colors of
       rocks and the stunning structures.

     - Artists Drive – Amazing drive with Artists Palate as one of the most picturesque spot of the
       national park.

     - Dante's View – From this point you get to see the most breathtaking views of the entire valley.

       Here is a map showing the different points and the sequence of doing them so that it takes the
       minimum time to cover everything.

2.  Hoover Dam + Valley of Fire State Park

      Another awesome daytrip from Vegas is to Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park.
      Start with Hoover Dam, which is 45 minutes drive from Las Vegas. Spend around 30 minutes
      clicking pics of the Dam and iconic Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which  

      connect Arizona and Nevada. If you are quite keen in knowing the history of Dam, you would 

      probably need to take an hour tour which will cost around $20 per person.

      I would personally suggest skipping the tour, clicking some nice pics and heading over to
      Valley of Fire.

      Valley of Fire State Park is one and half hour drive from Hoover Dam and an hour drive from Las
      Vegas. Filled with amazing pink and red rock formations, scenic vistas, stunning drives,
      adventurous hikes, the visit to this state park is a breathtaking experience.

      Major points to cover here are:
      - Beehives – These are unique sandstone formations, which appears in few minutes from the main
         entrance. You can climb at the top of one of them for some great views of the park.
      - Elephant rock – Next to east entrance, this rock formation looks like an elephant.
      - Rainbow Vista – It is a 1-mile round trip hike to the top of a big hill, from where you can get   

        stunning views of the park.
      - Pink Canyon – This is one of my favorites among the Valley of fire attractions and it feels like
        you are in some part of Antelope Canyons. Parking is limited to only two cars.

      - White Domes – It is a 1.25 mile round trip moderate hike, because it is downhill at the start and
         uphill on the return. However, the experience is worth it when you get to walk through a narrow
         slot canyon.
      - Seven Sisters – Take a quick stop to click few pics of seven sandstone rocks together.
     -  The Fire Wave – One of the most beautiful spots in Valley of Fire. It is a 1.5-mile loop hike and
         the path has many holes in the sand, so keep an eye on the ground while walking.
     

3.  Grand Canyon Skywalk – West Rim

     One of the natural wonders of the world, Grand Canyon is a famous tourist destination in US.
     Formed over millions of years of corrosion and cutting down by air and water, this steep sided
     canyon preserves Earth’s geological history.
     It is 277 miles long and there are various observation points to observe the breathtaking      
     panoramic views of the Canyon. The South and North Rim of the Canyon are famous among  

     tourists, because they offer a wide range of scenic points, but if you are short on time, the one-day 

     trip to Grand Canyon Skywalk – West Rim is worth the visit.

     Normally it is over 4 hours one-way drive to either of South or North Rim.

     The Grand Canyon Skywalk is an amazing architectural masterpiece standing at staggering
     heights of 4000 foot, over the West Rim of Grand Canyon. You get to walk over the transparent 

     glass floored structure and experience jaw-dropping views of the canyon right below your feet.

     It is a 2.5 hours drive from Las Vegas and you need to park your vehicle at the visiting center from
     where shuttles take you to different viewpoints. The admission ticket is of $69 which covers the
     below :
     - Eagle Point
     - Guano Point
     - Skywalk Ticket
     - Hualapai Ranch
     - Shuttle service

Credits - Here

4.  Red Rock Canyon

     Just 20 minutes from Las Vegas lies the perfect escape from the hurly-burly of the Sin city, Red
     Rock Canyon. It is best for those who loves hiking and rock climbing.

     It has around 30 miles of hiking trails and 13 miles of scenic drive.

     Though we didn’t get time to visit this place, but it is definitely a recommended daytrip from Las
     Vegas, in case you have visited the places listed above and have an extra day.

     The entry fee is $15 for a non-commercial vehicle.

Credit - Here

5.  Lake Mead Recreational Area

     Lake Mead Recreational Area is around 40 minutes drive from Las Vegas. It is one of the largest  

     water bodies near Vegas, hence a great area for swimming, boating and enjoying water   

     activities. It is massive 1.5 million acres with mountains, canyons, valleys, and two huge lakes.

     You can do various other activities, like driving the scenic Lakeshore Road, taking a cruise to
     enjoy the beautiful views around or hiking the 35-mile river mountain loop trail.

     The entrance fees to the recreational area is $25 per vehicle.

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Grand Canyon - Natural Wonder of the World..!!

Grand Canyon Overview
Grand Canyon or Grand Canyon National Park is the 15^th oldest national park of United States. It was named UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.
Situated in Arizona, this magnificent steep sided canyon will blow your mind and make you say “WOW” at every instance you have a glance of it.

This enormous beauty is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile.
Grand Canyon is evolving from last 17 million years and will continue to evolve in the future too.

Grand Canyon Rims
There are basically 3 rims that are open to tourism.
1. West Rim
2. South Rim
3. North Rim

The most popular among them is the South Rim, followed by West Rim and in the end North Rim.
From Vegas, South Rim takes minimum 5 hours drive, North Rim is 4 and half hours away while West Rim approximately takes 2 hours.
As we were short of time so we decided to explore the West Rim of Grand Canyon.

Activities to do in Grand CanyonApart from sightseeing, the other popular activities include rafting in Colorado River, hiking and helicopter tours.

Tourism in West RimWe drove all the way from Vegas to the Grand Canyon West entrance as no private vehicles are permitted past the entrance.

The Grand Canyon West Rim is open to the public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily from October through March, and from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm daily from April through September. It is open every day of the year including all major holidays.
Best season to visit is late fall during spring.

Major points in West Rim include the following -:

1.  Grand Canyon Skywalk
      Grand Canyon Skywalk is one of the major attractions in West Rim.
      It is a semi-circular transparent glass floor which extends 70 feet above the Canyon’s rim. It is 10
      feet wide and has 4-6 feet high glass wall at the edges.  It allows visitor to get a stunning view of 

       Canyon floor which is 4000 feet below.

      The only con of this attraction is personal cameras and mobile phones are not allowed on the
      Skywalk. Lockers are provided to the visitors and professional photographers are available to take
      your pictures which are available later for purchase. 

2. Eagle Point
    Apart from the Skywalk, you can also get an incredible view of the Grand Canyon from the space
    available at the side of the Skywalk.
    So get your DSLRs ready because you won’t be able to resist yourself from clicking the amazingly
    big, deep and beautiful Grand Canyon.

3. Guano Point
     Guano Point provides spectacular views of Grand Canyon, even more amazing than the Eagle
     point. Highpoint Hike, an easy trail to the top provides awe-inspiring 360° panoramic views of the

     Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. 

     Believe me when I say this, “For a moment the world came to a stop, time seemed to freeze, my
     eyes were glued, agape, I was just feeling the awesomeness I have landed in, pure bliss and  

      pleasure were felt deep down.

4. Hualapai Ranch
     Hualapai Ranch is home to Native American and cowboy demonstrations.
     Everything here is built in a way to give you a feel of the town where cowboys stay.
     You can play different games, learn how to rope, quick draw, shot like a cowboy and ride a horse
     along the rim.
     There is also an option to stay overnight in the cabins facing the canyon rim.





Tourist packages

There are different packages available for the visitors
1. A $50 package includes a visit to all the points except Skywalk.
2. Add extra $25 to the above package and you can get a pass to the Skywalk.
3. There are helicopter rides which are available from Vegas or from the West Rim Entrance.
    Normally the helicopter tours are $100+.
4. If you wish to stay overnight at the Hualapai Ranch cabins it will cost you an extra 100 bucks.
5. Along with the helicopter ride if you also wish to have a boat ride in the Colorado River, it will
    cost you approximately 200 bucks.

6. One day whitewater rafting in Colorado River is going to cost you somewhere around 400 bucks.

    All the packages include the hop on and off shuttle rides which take you to different points.

Here are couple of videos of the Grand Canyon West Rim

Hope you like it :)

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Road Trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon

On our road trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon which was around 125 miles, we were fortunate enough to capture some of the scenic beauty that kept us in high spirits for the whole trip.

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