Info about touring from Vegas

Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam & more

[henry0]

I understand quite a few among WebmasterWorld members are familiar with Las Vegas surrounding.
I have a big bunch of family members visiting from France arriving within a couple of weeks in CT
They already know NY, so since no one knows the West Coast I booked a trip to Vegas.
Neither my wife nor I are familiar with the area.
What do you recommend will be the best way to visit the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, booking in town, booking on the web, booking from the hotel or rent a car and take a trip on our own?
I am also looking for a gold mining era ghost city.

Thanks for any advise.

[LifeinAsia]

Vegas isn't quite the West Coast (you'd need to drive another 4-5 hours past it)... How long will you be in the area? And what types of activities do you/they enjoy?

Besides Vegas itself, Hoover Dam is a great way to spend a few hours. You can swim/boat/fish in Lake Mead. If you like hiking, Red Rocks and Valley of Fire area each about 30 minutes from Vegas with multiple hiking trails. A couple of hours away you can find 2 National Parks: Death Valley (to the west) and Zion (to the northeast). And Grand Canyon is a bit further.

To do justice to any of those 3 National Parks, you really need to spend at least 1 full day there (preferably 2-3). Yeah, you can see the highlights, but the real beauty requires hiking past the touristy beaten path.

I'd probably rent a car to see the Grand Canyon. The tours are probably going to just hit the tourist spots and not give you enough time to really enjoy the area.

No personal experience, but a search on "vegas ghost towns" gives some nearby.

[limoshawn]

renting a car would really be the best way to go, it's relatively easy to get around and you can visit things on your time.
Hoover damn is nice, take the tour.
For the grand canyon I would highly recommended driving to Williams (AZ), spending the night and then taking the train into the canyon, it's a great experience.
If you have the time I would also recommend visiting Lake Tahoe, very beautiful but it's a good 8 hour drive from Vegas! A lot of the old mining towns are up north (Tahoe area) but I've never been to any.

Have fun!

[ron15]

If you are looking at a close road trip, Mount Charleston is just a short drive north up 95, and then a few miles up Kyle Canyon Rd. You go from desert vegetation in the valley to pine trees. Its roughly about a 5000 foot climb, as the area that you can drive to is about 8000 feet. The temperature change can easily be about 20 degrees lower or more up there. The canyon drive is amazing on the way up.

If you want a long drive, go up 95 until you hit Goldfield. I guarantee if you have never been out in the middle of nowhere, you will be if you go there. For the most part its a living ghost town. The Goldfield Hotel has a history dating back to the early century, and the hotel was visited by a President and said to be haunted by a girl that stayed there. Its quite the site to see and being so far out in the desert gives it an aura that you would just not find in the northwest.

Las Vegas is an endless paradise if you like the outdoors, desert, and adventures. Don't tell too many people though. I'm kind of happy with the slow down in growth with the economy the way its been. :) I'm from Las Vegas, but have been away almost two years, and am moving back in July. July can't get here soon enough for me.

[henry0]

Thanks,
good info, we will be in the area for 4 days
I agree renting a car will be the best way, however I need a suburban or something in that range to accomodate 6 people.
I love the idea of taking the train.
too bad they could only make it in June as it will be quite hot but not humid.

[wheel]

The canyon's a must. One of those things that has to be seen to be believed. Then once you've seen it, it's over :).

[mhansen]

Yeah... My wife and I rented a Jeep a few years ago, and spent a day at Red Rock Canyon (I think its about 45-50 minutes North of LV) then a second day, we took a trip to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead...

We never made it to the Canyon, but we did do the helicopter trip...

Gotta blow the money somehow right, might as be on Memories.

[LifeinAsia]

The canyon's a must. One of those things that has to be seen to be believed. Then once you've seen it, it's over :).

Gotta disagree with you there. :) We spent 3 days there in October, just on the South Rim. We didn't have time to visit points west of the Bright Angel Trail. And we haven't even been to the North Rim yet.

Sure, you could do the "Vacation" version (Chevy Chase and family pull off at a lookout point, look around for a few seconds, then get back in the car to rush off). But in my opinion, unless you hike down into the Canyon, you're completely missing out on the experience. We hiked the South Kaibab Trail one day (~8.5 miles) and the Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point (~12.5 miles) the next day- very different views and scenery.

But definitely beware in the summer- the bottom of the Canyon is MUCH hotter than on the rim (can get above 100 degrees even in June). My favorite sign on the trail: "Going down into the Canyon is optional. Coming back up is MANDATORY!" :)

An option to hiking is taking a mule tour (Bright Angel Trail). They are very popular and get booked up way in advance. But they sometimes have cancellations.

Red Rock Canyon (I think its about 45-50 minutes North of LV)

Note- Red Rock (officially, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area) is about 20 minutes west of LV (not marked well on many maps- look for Scenic Loop Drive on Google Maps); Valley of Fire State Park is northeast of LV.

[engine]

I didn't have a lot of time for activities when I was in the LV area so booked a tour to see the Hoover Dam. This was before the new bridge was up, so now there's another reason to go back and take another look. The tour inside the dam was worthwhile, and the minibus got a crowd of people there and back in good time, and relatively cheaply.

The other thing I did was to see the grand canyon, and I can say it was well worth it. Again, not much time available so I took the option of a helicopter tour. If you take that option, choose one that lands in the canyon, rather than just flies over it. Landing in the canyon really gave it a sense of scale.