Las Vegas Area Travel Guide, Part 1
Includes Hoover Dam, Old Route 66, Grand Canyon SkywalkThe Las Vegas Area Travel Guide is a resource for Las Vegas visitors who wish to sample the Southwest's great scenery and outdoor recreation. All destinations within the guide are no more than five hours' drive from Las Vegas. Included are sites close to Las Vegas, such as Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon as well as locales in Arizona (including Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, and Painted Desert), Utah (Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park), and California (Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve). Details include descriptions, links to many references, and suggested visit times. Also, review our recommended travel itineraries. NEW! Grand Canyon Skywalk For easiest use, scroll map to top. Using the Interactive MapPlace your mouse pointer on any item number (in purple) on the map. A brief description will appear. Click on the number for a link to detailed information below. Detailed Highway Map of Nevada in separate window 
Las Vegas Area Destinations
This symbol indicates links into the American West Travelogue. Map Items 1-5 Below <Map Items 6-10> | <Map Items 11-16> | Travel Itineraries 
(1) Hoover Dam -
All Las Vegas visitors taking the Northern Arizona tour will get a glimpse of spectacular Hoover Dam, located about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Highway US-93 crosses the top of the dam into Arizona. (A bypass bridge is currently under construction.) The dam's visitor center/museum offers an Exhibit Gallery featuring the history of the dam and the natural history of the area, Theater One with an informational film, and an observation deck with a panoramic view of the dam. A self-guided tour into the heart of the dam is available. There are also street-level displays. Visit time: up to a few hours. (2) Old Route 66 - Grand Canyon Skywalk - Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman is one of the longest remaining stretches of the fabled highway. ere is a chance to see a few of the remaining businesses and places that still exist from the old days. The Hualapai Nation offers recreational opportunities in the western end of the Grand Canyon and has a resort and headquarters in the town of Peach Springs. Their feature attraction is the newly opened Grand Canyon Skywalk, a unique horseshoe-shaped structure which extends 70 feet beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon. Its glass-bottomed pathway allows visitors an opportunity to peer thousands of feet straight down into the Grand Canyon for a very unique perspective. Air transport to and from Las Vegas available. West of Seligman, cave tours have been offered at Grand Canyon Caverns for nearly 75 years. Visit time: a few hours; a day or more to visit Grand Canyon here.
(3) The Old West Town of Oatman - The town of Oatman started as a gold-mining camp in 1915. After the gold ran out, it served travelers on Route 66 and became a backwater after the freeways were built. Today, visitors can still visit the largely authentic town and sample a bit of the old west as well as a piece of Route 66. The are several old-fashioned hotels including the Oatman Hotel (a favorite of Clark Gable) and various craft and other retail shops. Tame mules wander the main street, and can be fed by visitors. There are daily staged gunfights and other events. Directions: From Kingman, west one exit on I-40, then west on Route 66. Visit time: a few hours up to an overnight stay. 
(4) Northern Arizona Destinations -
Interstate-40 provides quick and easy access to the great destinations of northern Arizona. These include the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, the historic towns of Prescott, Jerome, and Flagstaff, plus much more. The South Rim is 275 miles from Las Vegas, about a five-hour drive. Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon is about the same distance. An overnight stay is recommended for either destination. For more details and options, please see our Northern Arizona Travel Guide.
(5) Utah Loop -
Southwest Utah offers excellent attractions for both tourist and recreationalists. Las Vegas visitors can make an excellent road trip loop heading over Hoover Dam to I-40 and Flagstaff area, Grand Canyon-South Rim optional, US-89 to Lake Powell area, North Rim optional, then into Utah, eventually connecting to I-15 for the return to Las Vegas. Utah highlights are Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Hikers and backpackers may also want to visit the Paria Wilderness and Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Access to both from US-89 in Utah. National Park directions: (from Lake Powell) take US-89 past Kanab, Utah, then east on Utah-12 for Bryce Canyon; west on Utah-9 for Zion and connection to I-15. Visit time: loop trip, two or three days minimum; direct on I-15 from Las Vegas: a day or two, minimum.
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EXPERT ADVICE! Travel Itineraries as low as $25. Tailored to your trip by the Editor, based on his first-hand experiences.
Books
The Explorer's Guide to Death Valley National Park
by T. Scott Bryan, Betty Tucker-Bryan
First complete guide to cover the entire park region, from the habitats and lifestyles of wildlife in the area to backpacking trips, short day walks and full-length hikes. 
Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to Its Natural Wonders & Mining Past
by Michel Digonnet
Illustrated with original topographic maps, this book will guide you to Death Valley's most popular sites and many spectacular, out-of-the-way places, illustrating the remarkable diversity of its terrain, geology, flora, and fauna. 
Photography
Rainbow Bridge I by Gerald Allen
The world's largest known natural bridge in its exquisite setting. Related Pages
The Mojave Desert covers most of southeastern California and Nevada. It is one of the world's most arid and warmest places, with Death Valley offering the extremes of both. The desert mountain ranges in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada provide stark and beautiful scenery.
Location
The Mojave Desert encompasses southeastern California and Nevada. Most destinations are readily accessible from Los Angeles or Las Vegas, using Interstates 10,15, and 40. Las Vegas is located on Interstate-15 in southern Nevada. Local Weather
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