Red Rock Canyon
Travel time 30 minutes 17 miles – Red Rock Canyon is a quick 20-mile drive from Las Vegas. Activities at Red Rock Canyon include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and photography. The canyon’s elevation is about 3000 feet, so it’s a few degrees cooler in the summer, and in winter, it can get downright cold. Reservations are required for cars driving the scenic loop.
Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City
Travel time 30 minutes 26 miles – If you are looking for a fun day trip from Las Vegas, then the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City should be at the top of your list. Be sure to visit on the weekend when the museum runs excursion trains along the Boulder City branch line. Every other weekend they also feature free miniature train rides.
Boulder City Nevada
Travel time 30 minutes 26 miles – Boulder City is only a short drive outside Las Vegas, and just a few miles from the impressive Hoover Dam. With only 15,000 residents, the small-town charm is everywhere, and the atmosphere is family-oriented and fun.
Lake Mead Day Trip
Travel time 45 minutes 32 miles. Lake Mead is about a thirty-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip. If this is your first visit, you should stop at the visitor center at the corner of Great Basin Highway and Lakeshore Drive.
Hoover Dam Day Trip
Travel time 50 minutes 34 miles – Hoover Dam is an easy day trip from Las Vegas. Many tour operators offered guided tours from the strip. If you have a car, it is cheaper to drive yourself, plus you are not restricted to what you can do and where you can go. Several points of interest along the way are worth checking out. Your typical tourist tour takes you to the dam and back. There is so much more to see when you drive.
Pioneer Goodsprings Nevada
Travel time 45 minutes 38 miles – The Pioneer saloon is said to be haunted; whether you believe it depends on how many cold beers you indulge in. Inside the Pioneer Saloon, you will find a memorial room with photos from celebrity visitors and a memorial to Clark Gable and his wife, Carole Lombard. She was killed in a plane crash in the nearby mountains. Goodsprings has a few permanent residents, some crumbling buildings, the saloon, and nothing else. Pioneer Saloon is one of this list’s most popular Las Vegas day trips.
Mount Charleston
Travel time 1 hour 39 miles – Fresh air and silence are what you will find atop the state’s eighth highest mountain peak 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Mount Charleston feels a million miles away from the city. Things to do include hiking, mountain biking, camping, and sightseeing. During the winter, the mountains are the perfect place to play in the snow.
Nelson Ghost Town
Travel time 1 hour 40 miles – Nelson Ghost Town is situated in the middle of Eldorado Canyon, a once-booming gold mining district near the Colorado River. Tours of the largest and most productive gold mine in the Eldorado Canyon are available for groups of four or more people. The mine property has been a backdrop for several movies and music videos.
Valley of Fire State Park
Travel time 1 hour 48 miles – Less than an hour’s drive from Las Vegas Valley of Fire is one of Nevada’s most visited attractions. Valley of fire road runs through the park from east to west and is just under 11 miles long. Most park attractions are located on or near the main road. Popular points of interest include Rainbow Vista, Fire Wave, Arch Rock, Cabins, Elephant Rock, Fire Wave, and White Domes. Bus tours take tourists to the park, but we recommend driving to see all this amazing State Park offers.
Lost City Museum
Travel time 1 hour 20 minutes 65 miles – The reconstructed pueblo on the grounds of the Los City Museum is designed to look like the original pueblo that was situated here hundreds of years ago. The museum displays Indian artifacts excavated from the Moapa Valley to save them from the waters of Lake Mead as it was filled up. Lost City makes an excellent side trip while visiting the Valley of Fire State Park.
Springs Preserve Las Vegas
Known as the birthplace of Las Vegas, the Preserve site was once home to bubbling springs that were a water source for Native Americans. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, the Preserve is located approximately three miles west of downtown Las Vegas. The site represents one of the wealthiest and most unique cultural and biological resources in Southern Nevada.
Shoshone California
Travel time 1 hour 45 minutes 80 miles – Shoshone is an easy day trip from Las Vegas by car or motorcycle. Along with an interesting little museum, the main attraction here is the Crowbar Saloon and Cafe. The grub is good, and the beer is ice cold. On a hot summer day, what more could you ask for? Stop by China Date Ranch on your way back, stock up on Date Bread, and be back in Las Vegas by Dinner time. Shoshone is a popular day trip for Las Vegas bikers and off-road adventurers.
Tecopa Hot Springs
Travel time 1 hour 35 minutes 91 miles – Tecopa Hot Springs is a quirky town along the Old Spanish Trail. The main attractions in Tecopa are the natural hot springs. There are a couple of low-key resorts that offer day passes and overnight accommodations. And there is also a free public area with a large family natural hot spring pool just outside of town. Remember that most folks visiting Tecopa Hot Springs prefer dipping in the nude.
China Ranch Date Farm & Bakery
Travel time 2 hours 94 miles – China Ranch is a hidden gem way off the beaten path. Along with a gift shop and bakery. China Ranch is a great place to go hiking. The ranch is situated in the Amargosa River Valley. This area is protected as a National Wild and Scenic River and is one of the few places where the river flows above ground.
Beatty Nevada Gateway to Death Valley
Travel time 2 hours 116 miles – If you are heading to Death Valley, chances are you will pass through Beatty. Most visitors to Beatty Nevada are on their way to the park. However, there are several exciting points of interest nearby. There are several motels, dining establishments, and small casinos in town. Be sure to check out the Beatty Museum to learn about the history of the city and the surrounding Bullfrog Mining District. The museum is on US Highway 95 at the junction of Nevada Highway 374.
Rhyolite Ghost Town
Travel time 2 hours 120 miles – Rhyolite is about a two-hour drive from Las Vegas and makes a great side trip while visiting Death Valley Park. Rhyolite historic site is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management and is one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West. Goldwell Open Air Museum is an outdoor sculpture park near the southern entrance to the ghost town.
Titus Canyon To Death Valley
Travel time 2 hours 15 minutes 122 miles to the east entrance – Titus Canyon Road is a 27-mile one-way off-road route into Death Valley National Park. The trail starts ten miles south of Beatty, Nevada, along NV374. This day trip is best suited for high clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicles. However, some people drive this route in a family sedan. The first ten miles are flat and dusty. Then the climb begins. Up, over and through canyons. Points of interest along the route include a ghost town and the narrows with 100-foot cliffs on both sides of the road.
Death Valley National Park
Travel time 2.5 hours 125 miles – Death Valley is within day-trip distance of Las Vegas. Many visitors stay overnight in the park or in Beatty, Nevada, to give them enough time to explore Death Valley. Some travelers enjoy visiting in the summer just for bragging rights about experiencing the 100 degrees plus heat. We recommend calling in late fall to spring and staying in or near the park for a day or two. The easiest way to Death Valley is from Las Vegas via Beatty, Nevada.
Gold Point Nevada
Travel time 3 hours 184 miles – Gold Point is about a three-hour drive from Las Vegas. Ranchers and miners first settled in the town during the 1880s. Gold was discovered in the 1920s, and Gold Point was born. At one time, nearly 2,000 people called the townhome. Today there are only a couple of hundred living in the area. Visitors to Gold Point can take a self-guided tour around the town or explore old mining camps, and hundreds of mines are all within a short drive. Visitors can also rent a cabin for an old-west adventure.
Pahrump Valley Winery Day Trip
The town of Pahrump is about an hour’s drive from the Las Vegas Strip. If you’re looking to escape the noise and congestion of Las Vegas, we suggest a day trip to the Pahrump Valley Winery. You won’t be disappointed.