Fast Facts
- Population
- 641,903 (2020 census); 679,817 (2025 est.)
- Elevation
- About 2,000–2,030 ft
- Best Season
- October–April; high summer is dangerous outdoors
- Nearest Interstate
- I-15, which runs the length of the valley
- All-American Road
- Las Vegas Strip, 4.5 miles — 2.4 miles away
What to Know Before You Arrive
The jurisdictional split matters more than it sounds. The Strip is in Paradise and Winchester rather than in the City of Las Vegas, which means the resorts, the city and the county are different authorities with different rules. Downtown Las Vegas — the older part around Fremont Street — is the actual city, and it is a separate destination from the Strip rather than a smaller version of it.
The name is an accurate description of a place that no longer exists. “Las vegas” is Spanish for the meadows, and it referred to fertile lowlands near springs. Those springs are the reason anything is here. Today the water comes from elsewhere: the Southern Nevada Water Authority has been building a $1.4 billion tunnel and pumping station to draw from Lake Mead, and the city cut per-resident daily water use from 314 gallons in 2003 to about 205 gallons by 2015 after the drought that began in 2002.
For a road trip, the useful thing to know is how close the desert is. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area lies just a few miles west of the city and covers 195,819 acres of the Mojave, with a one-way 13-mile scenic drive through it. You can be on that drive within half an hour of leaving the resorts, which is a shorter transition between built and empty than almost any other American city offers.
The Road Trip Stop
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is the anchor for a driving trip, a few miles west of the city across 195,819 acres of Mojave Desert, with a one-way 13-mile scenic drive. It is the part of Las Vegas that has nothing to do with the thing Las Vegas is famous for.
Book the entry window, then pick the hour
- Timed entry reservations are required from 1 October to 31 May, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. That covers the entire comfortable half of the year, so for most visitors a reservation is not optional. Book before you drive out.
- The scenic drive opens earlier than the reservation window. It runs daily from 6:00 a.m. — to 5:00 p.m. November to February, 7:00 p.m. in March and October, and 8:00 p.m. April to September. An arrival before 8:00 a.m. falls outside the reservation hours and also gets the best light.
- The visitor centre keeps shorter hours than the drive, open daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- We were unable to confirm the current entrance fees. The amounts are held on a separate fees page we could not read. Check before arriving, and note the reservation and the entrance fee are separate things: the Bureau of Land Management lists a timed entry reservation and an entry fee as two requirements for the Visitor Center, and Recreation.gov says walk-in and bicycle visitors need no reservation but pay the entrance fee or have a pass validated at the entrance kiosk.
From the Park Service
Death Valley National Park
- Entrance fee
- $30 private vehicle (7-day) · $25 motorcycle (7-day) · $15 per person (7-day) · $0 education/academic groups. 4 commercial and tour-operator rates are listed separately by the park.
- Park hours
- Open around the clock, every day. The park is open daily all year.
- Visitor centres
- Furnace Creek Visitor Center · Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station. Open 8:00AM - 5:00PM daily.
- Campgrounds
- 12 in the park, about 782 sites in total. Fees from $9 to $60.
- Passport stamp
- Furnace Creek Visitor Center
National Park Service Data API, pulled 2026-10-12
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Entrance fee
- $25 private vehicle · $20 motorcycle (7-day) · $15 per person · $0 education/academic groups. 5 commercial and tour-operator rates are listed separately by the park.
- Park hours
- Open around the clock, every day. Lake Mead National Recreation Area is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Reservations
- 1 of the park’s listed activities need a booking
- Visitor centres
- Lake Mead Visitor Center · Lake Mead Headquarters Information Kiosk. Open 9:00AM - 4:30PM daily.
- Campgrounds
- 16 in the park, about 936 sites in total. Fees from $20 to $80.
- Passport stamp
- Lake Mead Headquarters Information Kiosk · Lake Mead Visitor Center
- Webcams
- 1 live view on the park’s own site
National Park Service Data API, pulled 2026-10-12
Neighborhoods
Downtown and Fremont Street
The original city, north of the Strip and legally a different place from it. Older, denser and on a street grid rather than a boulevard.
The Strip (Paradise and Winchester)
The resort corridor, in unincorporated Clark County rather than the city. It is walkable in theory and much longer than it looks; the distances between resorts are measured in blocks the size of city blocks.
The Arts District
Part of Downtown Las Vegas, the 18b Arts District is named for its original 18-block area. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority describes it as an arts district created by the reuse of warehouses, storefronts and garages, with public art and art housed in galleries and workspaces.
Summerlin and the west side
The residential edge running toward Red Rock Canyon, which is how close the desert actually is.
The Food Stop
The Golden Steer Steakhouse at 308 W. Sahara Avenue was founded in 1958, which makes it older than most of what stands on the Strip — and, like the city itself, it is inside the actual municipal limits rather than out in Paradise. Its own account names Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. among its regulars; that is the restaurant's claim rather than an independent record. It grew by annexing neighbouring shops and added a larger bar in the 1970s. Hours are not published on its site, and bookings appear to be expected rather than optional, so reserve rather than arriving hopefully.
Been here a while
Places that have been serving a long time. All were still trading when we last checked. Each name links to its source.
- 1955Bob Taylor's Ranch HouseDescribed as the oldest operating steakhouse in Las Vegas; James Beard America's Classic 2026
- 1972Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge24-hour Strip coffee shop and lounge opened in 1972; James Beard America's Classic 2024
3 breweries within 10 miles of Las Vegas, 2 of them brewpubs with a kitchen.
See all 3
- Chicago Brewing Co - NV2201 S Fort Apache Rd, Las Vegas
- Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - Las Vegas3987 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas
- PT's Brewing Co.3101 N Tenaya Way, Las Vegasproduction site*
*Check before you go. This list says what the source records as open and where it is — nothing more. Opening hours, whether a kitchen is serving, and whether anywhere suits your family are not in this data and change without notice. A production site may have no public room at all. Please confirm with the venue.
Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)
The Home Teams
Vegas Golden Knights
NHLThe NHL club, which opened its inaugural season in 2017 and won the Stanley Cup in 2023. The arena is on the Strip rather than in the city proper.
Las Vegas Raiders
NFLThe NFL club, formerly the Oakland Raiders, officially became the Las Vegas Raiders in January 2020 and plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium, which the club's own release places on the south end of the Strip.
Las Vegas Aces
WNBAThe city's WNBA franchise; the team's own history page lists WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, and another WNBA title in 2025.
Las Vegas Aviators
Triple-A baseballTriple-A baseball at Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin on the west side, home of the Pacific Coast League's Las Vegas Aviators. In a straight line it is about 6 miles east of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and about 9 miles west of T-Mobile Arena.
Day Trips
| Destination | Time | Distance | How we got it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Dam and Boulder City | 50 min | 34 mi | routed |
| South-east: Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border, about 25 miles from Las Vegas in a straight line and reached on US 93, and Boulder City, which the city's own history page says was established to house the managers and construction workers building the dam. Check the Bureau of Reclamation's Hoover Dam pages for tour and access status before going. | |||
| Valley of Fire State Parkguide | 1 hr 25 min | 56 mi | routed |
| North-east, about 40 miles from Las Vegas in a straight line: a state park that Nevada State Parks lists as established in 1935, with bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops and petroglyphs. | |||
| Mount Charleston | 52 min | 38 mi | routed |
| West, about 28 miles from Las Vegas in a straight line, the Spring Mountains: the Forest Service gives the elevation of its Spring Mountains National Recreation Area as ranging from 3,000 feet in the valleys to 11,918 feet at the top of Charleston Peak, and says more than a million visitors come each year to escape the desert heat in the summer and to ski in the winter. | |||
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | 1 hr 20 min | 51 mi | routed |
| East, the reservoir the city draws from, where the exposed shoreline shows how far the water has dropped. | |||
| Death Valley National Park | 2 hr 25 min | 126 mi | routed |
| West, about 97 miles from Las Vegas in a straight line and across the state line into California. According to the National Park Service, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at -282 feet, and the hottest air temperature recorded in the park was 134°F at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. A long day, and genuinely dangerous in summer. | |||
1 of these is a place the Hub has its own guide to — marked guide and linked from the name.
Routed figures are computed over map data at free-flowing speeds, between map points rather than street addresses, so a real drive runs longer.
Distances routed by OSRM and places geocoded by Nominatim, over map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Worth a Weekend
18 more Highway Heads places lie within about 180 miles of Las Vegas in a straight line — far enough that most are a night away rather than an afternoon.
- Lost City MuseumNevadaabout 45 mi
- Moapa Valley National Wildlife RefugeNevadaabout 45 mi
- Virgin River Canyon Recreation AreaArizonaabout 90 mi
- Snow Canyon State ParkUtahabout 110 mi
- St. GeorgeUtahabout 110 mi
- St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson FarmUtahabout 110 mi
- St. George TabernacleUtahabout 110 mi
- Red Cliffs Recreation AreaUtahabout 120 mi
- Silver Reef MuseumUtahabout 120 mi
- Kanarra FallsUtahabout 140 mi
- Kolob CanyonsUtahabout 140 mi
- Springdale (Zion)Utahabout 140 mi
- Zion National ParkUtahabout 140 mi
- Cedar Breaks National MonumentUtahabout 160 mi
- Frontier Homestead State Park MuseumUtahabout 160 mi
- Grand Canyon CountryArizonaabout 170 mi
- Grand Canyon National ParkArizonaabout 170 mi
- Parowan GapUtahabout 170 mi
Lakes Nearby
1 lake we have checked near here. These are the ones from our research that we could check against an official page — not every lake there is.
Lake Mead
- BoatingMotorized boating allowed; open launches incl. Las Vegas Boat Harbor/Hemenway, Callville Bay, Temple Bar, Boulder, South Cove
- Rentals & marinayes
- SwimmingSwimming allowed in coves; no designated beaches listed in source
- EntryNPS: $25 private vehicle (1-7 days); $45 park annual; vessel $16/7 days or $50/year
- Seasonyear-round
Low water: record low 1,040.58 ft on 2022-07-28; ~35% full Feb 2025. Overton and Echo Bay marinas and Government Wash, Las Vegas Bay, Pearce Ferry ramps listed closed.; State HAB advisories: ndep.nv.gov
Run by NPS - Lake Mead NRA (dam: BOR Hoover Dam)
*Check before you go. Every lake here links to the official page we checked it against. Each states a price we read off that page on the date we checked. Fees, seasons, water levels, algal advisories and ramp closures change without notice and belong to the agency that runs the water. A blank is something we did not confirm, not something the lake lacks. Never assume a lifeguard. Whether a beach is staffed turns on the season, the day, and which agency runs that particular beach — two beaches on one lake can differ. If that matters to your family, confirm it with the agency before you set out.
Aquariums Nearby
Within 60 miles of Las Vegas, nearest first.
Flamingo Wildlife Habitat — some details below are unconfirmedLas Vegas
- Admission
- Free
- Reservations
- Not required
Daily keeper talk 10am
* We could not confirm: hours not shown. Check their site before you go.
Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay BayAZA-accreditedLas Vegas
- Hours
- Daily 10-8, last admission 7pm; box office 9:30am-7:30pm
- Admission
- Adult $29 (a one-hour window you pick) · Child $24
- Reservations
- Not required
- Parking
- Mandalay Bay self-parking $20 Mon-Thu and $25 Fri-Sun for up to 24 hours, higher during special events; Nevada residents get the first 3 hours free with a valid NV driver licence at the exit gate. Oversized vehicles can only park at Excalibur, $50 per 24 hours.
Inside Mandalay Bay resort. Timed entry - the ticket is good for the one-hour window you choose and the aquarium can sell out at peak times. Children 12 and under must be with a paid adult. Guided aquarium tours run Mon-Sat 3pm and Sun 1, 2 or 3pm and are a separate ticket. Stingray, shark and sea-turtle feeds are separately ticketed and same-day tickets for them must be bought in person. The aquarium sits at the far end of the Mandalay Bay resort, a long indoor walk from self-parking.
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. 1 of these carries an accreditation we confirmed against the accrediting body’s own register. Where there is no badge we did not confirm one — that is not a judgement on the place, and a good many municipal, state and university sites belong to no register we check. One entry is marked with an asterisk: we could not confirm part of what is listed, and the note under it says which part. Opening times, prices and seasons change without notice, so check the operator’s own site — every name above links to it.
Venues and Annual Events Nearby
Within 60 miles of Las Vegas, nearest first.
Where to see something
Las Vegas Motor Speedwayfestival groundsNorth Las Vegas
- Hours
- Event days only
- Address
- 7000 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV
- Capacity
- 80,000
Site of EDC Las Vegas since 2011
SpherearenaParadise (Las Vegas)
- Address
- 255 Sands Ave., Paradise, NV
- Capacity
- 17,600 seated / 20,000
Opened September 29, 2023
T-Mobile ArenaarenaParadise (Las Vegas)
- Address
- 3780 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Paradise, NV
- Capacity
- 12,000-20,000 (concerts)
Opened April 6, 2016
The Colosseum at Caesars PalacetheaterParadise (Las Vegas)
- Address
- 3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Paradise, NV 89109
- Capacity
- 4,100
Opened March 25, 2003
What is on, and when
NASCAR at Las Vegas Motor Speedwaysports-motorsportLas Vegas
- Usually
- Spring and fall, over several days
- Held at
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegasmusic festivalNorth Las Vegas
- Usually
- May, over several days
- Held at
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Since
- 1991 (Las Vegas since 2011)
Las Vegas Grand Prix (Formula 1)sports-motorsportParadise (Las Vegas)
- Usually
- November, over several days
- Held at
- Las Vegas Strip Circuit
- Since
- 2023
National Finals RodeorodeoParadise (Las Vegas)
- Usually
- December, over several days
- Held at
- Thomas & Mack Center
- Since
- 1959 (Las Vegas since 1985)
Clark County Fair & RodeofairLogandale
- Usually
- April, over several days
- Held at
- Clark County Fairgrounds
Pahrump Fall Festival — some details below are unconfirmedfairPahrump
- Usually
- Late September, over several days
- Held at
- Petrack Park
* We could not confirm: the details beyond the month it usually runs. Check their site before you go.
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Events are listed by the month they usually fall in, because that is what we hold — we do not publish dates, and a month is not a promise. Check the organiser before you plan around one. One entry is marked with an asterisk: we could not confirm part of what is listed, and the note under it says which part. Opening times, line-ups and ticketing change without notice, so check the venue’s or organiser’s own site — every name above links to it.
Water Parks and Amusement Parks Nearby
Within 60 miles of Las Vegas, nearest first.
Adventuredomeamusement parkLas Vegas
- Opened
- 1993
indoor park at Circus Circus; opened 1993; daily hours posted
Wet'n'Wild Las VegasSeasonalwater parkLas Vegas
renamed Cowabunga Canyon in 2022; old wetnwildlasvegas.com domain now unrelated; season April-Sept
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. 1 of these runs a season rather than opening year round. Opening and closing dates move every year and we hold none of them, so check the park’s own calendar before you build a day around it. Prices, hours and ride closures change without notice — every name above links to the park’s own site.
Roadside Oddities Nearby
Seven Magic MountainsFolk art / sculpture gardenLas Vegasabout 24 miles away
- Cost to see it
- Free
- When you can see it
- Any time — outdoors, visible from the road
- Nearest road
- I-15
Neon-painted boulder stacks; BLM lease ends late 2026
- Something about this one changed recently — check before you drive out
Read on the page we checked
These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.
Practical Road Trip Info
Summer here is a safety issue. Desert heat at this scale kills people most years; outdoor plans between June and September need to happen at dawn or not at all.
Book Red Rock's entry window. Reservations run 1 October to 31 May, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which is most of the season people actually visit.
The Strip is not the city and the distances are deceptive. Walking between two resorts that look adjacent can take half an hour in full sun.
Water is the live issue. Consumption has fallen sharply since 2002 and the supply infrastructure has been rebuilt around a shrinking Lake Mead; it is the context for everything about this valley.
One public campground within 25 miles of Las Vegas, and it takes reservations. Public campgrounds run by federal agencies. State-park and private campgrounds are not included.
The Local Debate
Family-Friendly
The Red Rock scenic drive
Thirteen miles one-way with pull-offs, so the landscape can be seen largely from the car when nobody wants to walk.
The Springs Preserve
A 180-acre site, by its own count, with an 8-acre botanical garden, hiking trails and the WaterWorks museum, on grounds its pages describe as the original source of water for Native Americans living here; its home page groups activities for families, educators, nature lovers and history buffs.
An Aviators game
Triple-A baseball at Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin; the club's ballpark page lists picnic tables, a kids’ zone and a pool beyond the outfield wall. Check the club's ticket pages for prices.
Valley of Fire
North-east, about 40 miles from Las Vegas in a straight line, with red sandstone and petroglyphs. Nevada State Parks says the Visitor Center can suggest day hikes of varying length, and that many trails close each year from May 15 to September 30. Not in summer.
Plan Your Visit
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
- Where
- A few miles west of Las Vegas; 195,819 acres of Mojave Desert
- Scenic Drive
- One-way, 13 miles
- Reservations
- Required 1 October to 31 May, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Drive hours
- Daily from 6:00 a.m.; closes 5pm Nov-Feb, 7pm Mar and Oct, 8pm Apr-Sep
- Visitor Center
- Open daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Fees
- We were unable to confirm current entrance fees; they sit on a separate fees page
We checked reservations, fees, closures, seasonal opening, opening hours and operating status on 2026-10-12. These change without notice — confirm with redrockcanyonlv.org, nps.gov, blm.gov, recreation.gov, neonmuseum.org and parks.nv.gov the week you travel.
Sources — 44 claims, 39 checked against the source on 2026-10-12
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock Canyon NCA is “located just a few miles west of Las Vegas and encompasses 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert”; “Red Rock Canyon features a one-way 13-mile scenic drive”; “Reservations are required starting on October 1 to May 31, 8 am- 5 pm”; Visitor Center open daily 8:00 AM–4:30 pm; Scenic Drive open daily from 6:00 AM, closing 5:00 PM November–February, 7:00 PM March and October, 8:00 PM April–September; fee amounts are on a separate page | Plan Your Visit — Red Rock Canyon NCA | Checked monitored · 2026-10-12 |
| The Las Vegas Strip is “outside the city limits in the surrounding unincorporated communities of” Paradise and Winchester, both in Clark County | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Population 641,903 at the 2020 census with a 2025 estimate of 679,817; elevation 2,000 ft in the infobox and “approximately 2,030 ft” in the body text | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Founded as a city in 1905 when “110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned”, and incorporated in 1911 | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The name comes from Spanish “las vegas”, meaning “the meadows”, describing “the fertile lowlands near the springs&rdquo | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The Southern Nevada Water Authority “is building a $1.4 billion tunnel and pumping station to bring water from Lake Mead”; per-resident daily water use fell from 314 gallons in 2003 to about 205 gallons in 2015 after a drought beginning in 2002 | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The Golden Steer Steakhouse “was founded in 1958”, at 308 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102; it expanded by annexing neighbouring shops and added a larger bar in the 1970s; hours are not listed on its site | Golden Steer Steakhouse | Checked |
| “Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. were but a few of our regular customers” — the restaurant's own marketing claim, reported here as its claim rather than as independent record | Golden Steer Steakhouse | Checked |
| Red Rock Canyon NCA current entrance fee amounts (the fees page on redrockcanyonlv.org returns no text to an automated reader; the BLM and Recreation.gov pages do not state amounts) | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Neon Museum, Springs Preserve and Mob Museum current opening hours and admission prices (not stated in this article) | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Home schedules and ticket prices for the Golden Knights, Raiders, Aces and Aviators (not stated in this article) | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| The route miles and drive times in the day-trip distance and drive fields are unsourced and barred by the Hub's no-drive-time rule; straight-line miles are now in the day-trip text | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Lake Mead current water level (the Valley of Fire oldest-state-park claim was dropped, not confirmed) | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| The BLM page states that a timed entry reservation (October 1 to May 31) and an entry fee are both required to access the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center; fee amounts are not given on this page (checked 2026-10-14) | Red Rock Canyon NCA — Bureau of Land Management | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| Recreation.gov states that walk-in and bicycle visitors need no timed entry reservation and pay the entrance fee or have a pass validated at the entrance kiosk (checked 2026-10-14) | Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive Timed Entry — Recreation.gov | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| The LVCVA places the 18b Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas, named for its original 18-block area, and describes it as created by creative reuse of warehouses, storefronts and garages, with art both public and housed in galleries and workspaces | Visitor's guide to the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District — Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority | Checked |
| The museum describes its outdoor exhibition area as the Neon Boneyard, showing rescued signs; its collection holds more than 250 signs, from the 1930s to the present day | About the Neon Museum — The Neon Museum | Checked |
| The museum states that, because the Neon Boneyard is an outdoor collection, scheduled tours and general admission are subject to cancellation and modification for inclement weather, including excessive heat (checked 2026-10-14) | Plan Your Visit — The Neon Museum | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| The preserve states that its site served as the original source of water for Native Americans living here thousands of years ago; lists 180 acres and an 8-acre botanical garden; groups its offerings for families, educators, nature lovers and history buffs | Springs Preserve — home page | Checked |
| The preserve lists museums, galleries, educational experiences, outdoor events, a desert botanical garden and an interpretive trail system | Mission and History — Springs Preserve | Checked |
| WaterWorks is described by the preserve as a look at how water travels from its source to the tap | WaterWorks Museum — Springs Preserve | Checked |
| The museum describes itself as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, in a restored former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (a 1930s neoclassical building) in downtown Las Vegas, with four floors of exhibits | About — The Mob Museum | Checked |
| NHL.com: the Golden Knights open their inaugural season in October 2017 | NHL Announces Golden Knights 2017-18 Regular Season Schedule — NHL.com | Checked |
| NHL.com (June 15, 2023): the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena | Golden Glory: Vegas Beats Florida — NHL.com Golden Knights | Checked |
| The club's release dated January 22, 2020 states the Raiders officially became the Las Vegas Raiders and will play home games at Allegiant Stadium, located on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip | Silver and Black officially welcomed to the Silver State — Raiders.com | Checked |
| NFL.com describes the Oakland Raiders as about a year out from moving to their new stadium, due for the start of the 2020 regular season | Raiders' new home to be named Allegiant Stadium — NFL.com | Checked |
| The team lists WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023 and another WNBA title in 2025 | Franchise History — Las Vegas Aces | Checked |
| The club states that Las Vegas Ballpark is in Downtown Summerlin and is the home of the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League, Triple-A; lists seating including picnic tables and a pool beyond the outfield wall | Las Vegas Ballpark — Las Vegas Aviators | Checked |
| Reclamation places Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border and gives the approach through Boulder City on I-11/US 93/US 95 | Hoover Dam directions — Bureau of Reclamation | Checked |
| The city states that the 1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act authorized Hoover Dam and the establishment of Boulder City to house the managers and construction workers building it | Our History — City of Boulder City | Checked |
| Nevada State Parks lists Valley of Fire as established in 1935 and describes bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops and petroglyphs | Valley of Fire State Park — Nevada State Parks | Checked |
| The park page directs visitors to the Visitor Center for day-hike suggestions of varying length and states that many trails are closed annually May 15 to September 30 (checked 2026-10-14) | Valley of Fire State Park — Nevada State Parks (trails) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| The Forest Service gives the area's elevation as ranging from 3,000 feet in the valleys to 11,918 feet at the top of Charleston Peak, and says visitors come to escape the desert heat in summer and to ski in winter | Spring Mountains National Recreation Area — U.S. Forest Service | Checked |
| The Park Service caption describes Badwater Basin as the lowest point in North America at -282 feet | Death Valley National Park — National Park Service | Checked |
| The Park Service records the hottest air temperature in the park as 134 degrees F at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913 | Weather — Death Valley National Park (NPS) | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas Ballpark — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas Ballpark | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas Ballpark | T-Mobile Arena — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates of Las Vegas, used for the straight-line distances to the day-trip destinations | Las Vegas — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas | Hoover Dam — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas | Valley of Fire State Park — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas | Mount Charleston, Nevada — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Published coordinates used for the straight-line distance to Las Vegas | Death Valley National Park — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation; 4.5 miles in NV; FHWA suggests: 30 minutes to drive or several hours to enjoy the byway. Distance from this stop to the route measured against the published byway centreline on the U.S. Department of Transportation map service (geo.dot.gov), which carries no stated licence and predates the 2021 designations; the measurement is ours, the line is theirs and is not reproduced here. 2.4 miles (checked 2026-10-29) | Federal Highway Administration: Las Vegas Strip | Checked |
Road Trippin’ with the Harts
The Highway Heads books turn the miles between stops into a game the whole car can play.
See the booksLive Conditions
Wildlife Spotted Nearby
Nearest Airports
Straight-line distance from Las Vegas, not drive time.
- North Las Vegas (VGT) — 4 miles
- Harry Reid International (LAS) — 6 miles
- Boulder City Municipal (BLD) — 22 miles
Explore the Full Road Trip
Return to the Highway Heads map and discover the next family-ready stop.
Explore the Map