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Las Vegas Outside Adventures

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While Las Vegas has long been known as an adult playground, it’s a well-kept secret that Las Vegas also sits in the heart of some of the Mojave Desert’s most beautiful scenery. Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area contains world-class rock climbing, Valley of Fire State Park has been a background for many movies, and Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the United States. If you are more interested in Mother Nature than Lady Luck, you’ll find plenty of places to explore away from the Strip.

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Author: Terrisa Meeks

Day 1 - Las Vegas

Pick a hotel away from the congestion of the Strip, and you’ll enjoy easy access to freeways and a wide variety of local restaurants. If you prefer a more upscale experience, the Red Rock Resort offers nightclubs and sleek architecture. The Suncoast Hotel is a more typical Las Vegas hotel. Both hotels offer an array of restaurants, bowling lanes, and movie theaters—and casinos, of course. For your first outing, take a short drive west to the Red Rock National Recreation Area. A scenic 13-mile loop takes you past panoramic red and white cliffs. Geology is on display here, and rock climbers and hikers will find a plentiful array of places to explore. After you leave Red Rock, don’t rush back to town. Turn to the south (right) at the exit for a short drive to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, where you can tour a historic home once owned by Howard Hughes. Continue past Spring Mountain Ranch to Bonnie Springs Ranch for a taste of the Wild West, complete with gunfighters and horseback riding. After a full day of exploring, enjoy a meal at one of Las Vegas’ finer local restaurants, Rosemary’s or Agave.

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Red Rock Resort

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Location:

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11011 W. Charleston Rd
Summerlin
Las Vegas, NV 89135

Phone:

866/767-7773

Suncoast Hotel Casino

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Location:

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9090 Alta Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Phone:

+1 877 677 7111 / +1 702 636 7117

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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Location:

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State Route 159 from Charleston Boulevard
(17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip)
Las Vegas, NV 89124

Phone:

+1 702 363 1921 (Information)

Red Rock Canyon Climbing

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Location:

Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301

Phone:

(702) 515-5138

Fire Ecology Trail

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Location:

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HCR 33, Box 5500
Las Vegas, NV 89123

Phone:

702-515-5000

Calico Tanks

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Location:

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HCR 33, Box 5500
Las Vegas, NV 89124

Phone:

702-515-5000

Bonnie Springs Ranch Old Nevada

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Location:

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1 Gunfighter Lane
Blue Diamond, Clark County
Las Vegas, NV 89004

Phone:

+1 702 875 4191

Agave - Las Vegas

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Location:

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10820 W. Charleston Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89135

Phone:

7022143500

Rosemary's Restaurant

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Location:

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8125 W. Sahara
Las Vegas, NV 89117

Phone:

702/869-2251

Day 2 - Las Vegas

Start your day with a good breakfast at the Hash House A Go Go or The Cracked Egg—you’ll need plenty of energy for a day of exploring Nevada’s first state park. Once you reach the Valley of Fire, which is about an hour’s drive out of Las Vegas, be on the lookout for big horn sheep, coyotes, and other wildlife. Turn toward the visitor’s center to find Mouse’s Tank trail, an easy hike through a canyon filled with petroglyphs. For a more challenging hike, drive all the way to where the pavement ends to hike the White Domes trail, which passes the remains of an old movie set and takes hikers through a slot canyon. Stay on the park’s main road, and it will end at State Route 169 which skirts Lake Mead. Turn toward the towns of Overton and Logandale, and look for the exit to St. Thomas. This city was submerged when Lake Mead was formed, but historically low water levels have now uncovered its remains. Continue on to Overton, and you can visit the Lost City Museum, which is filled with Native American artifacts, many of which were saved from the rising waters of Lake Mead in the 1930s. When you get back into town, enjoy casual dining (and plentiful portions) at JC Wooloughans.

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The Cracked Egg (Cheyenne)

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Location:

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7660 W Cheyenne Ave #125
Las Vegas, NV 89129

Phone:

702 395 7981

Hash House A Go Go

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6800 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89146

Phone:

+1 702 804 4646

Valley of Fire State Park

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Interstate 15 on exit 75, P. O. Box 515
(Six miles from Lake Mead)
Las Vegas, NV 89040

Phone:

+1 702 397 2088

JC Wooloughans Irish Pub

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221 North Rampart Boulevard
JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort Spa & Golf
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Phone:

702 869 7725

Day 3 - Las Vegas

When it was completed in 1936, Hoover Dam (originally Boulder Dam) was both ahead of schedule and under budget, an amazing accomplishment. Today visitors can tour the dam and get a good look at the by-pass bridge under construction over Black Canyon. Lake Mead is the giant reservoir that the dam created, and on your way back from the dam, you can stop at the Alan Bible Visitor’s Center to learn more about the lake and perhaps take a drive down to the water. The Five Tunnels Hiking Trail is next to the visitor’s center. You can hike or bike this trail, which traces the path used by the railroad to transport supplies to the dam when it was under construction—and as the name suggests, it passes through five tunnels. Just outside of Boulder City (on the lake side), look for Hemenway Park, which is home to a herd of big horn sheep. In Boulder City, you can explore the historic downtown, or have lunch at the Boulder Dam Hotel. After another long day of exploration, try the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

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Hoover Dam

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PO Box 61470 (Mailing Address)
Las Vegas, NV 89005

Phone:

+1 702 293 8000

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

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Location:

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601 Nevada Way
(Alan Bible Visitor Center)
Las Vegas, NV 89005

Phone:

+1 702 293 8990 (Visitor Center)

Boulder Dam Hotel

Location:

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1305 Arizona Street
Las Vegas, NV 89005

Phone:

+1 702 293 3510

Cheesecake Factory

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Location:

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750 S Rampart Blvd Bldg 17
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Phone:

702 951 3800

Hemenway Valley Park

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401 Ville Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89005

Day 4 - Las Vegas

On your last day, do a different kind of outdoor exploration. Take an off-road tour or view the sights from a helicopter. If you haven’t been down to the Strip, check out one of the nighttime helicopter tours for a breath-taking view of the lights without the traffic hassles. If you’d rather experience the outdoors with your nine iron, try Angel Park Golf Course, a local favorite, close to both the Red Rock Resort and the Suncoast. For a completely different outdoor atmosphere, drive to Mt. Charleston, where cooler temperatures and pine trees offer a welcome respite from the heat; in winter, however, expect snow at the mountain. Mt. Charleston is home to two lodges, both of which also have bars and restaurants. For your last evening in Las Vegas, enjoy a meal at Ceres.

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