Las Vegas Area Travel Guide (Part 1)

The 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, Arizona locales (including Grand Canyon, Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, Historic Route 66), Utah (Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park), and California (Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve). Details include descriptions and links to many references. Notable Las Vegas attractions also are included.

Navigating the Guide

Open the Locater Map by clicking on image at right. Place your mouse pointer on any map icon. A brief description will appear. Click on the link in the icon info window for details. You may also use the Pull-Down Menu or the Las Vegas Area Travel Guide Index at the bottom of the page.

Las Vegas Area - Hoover Dam, Historic Route 66, Grand Canyon Skywalk, Northern Arizona

This symbol indicates links into the American West Travelogue.

One of the most popular outdoor destinations for Las Vegas visitors is the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, an easy five-hour drive. En route, you can tour Hoover Dam and drive an outstanding segment of Historic Route 66 from Kingman to Seligman, Arizona. Other outstanding attractions can be reached with short side trips.

Hoover Dam

All Las Vegas visitors taking the Northern Arizona tour will drive past spectacular Hoover Dam, located about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Highway US-93 currently crosses the top of the dam into Arizona. However the Colorado River Bridge bypassing Hoover Dam is expected to open in late 2010. The 2,000-foot long bridge crosses Black Canyon just south of the dam, 900 feet above the Colorado River. It will greatly alleviate traffic congestion around the dam and will offer spectacular views.

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 via elevator is available. There are also street-level displays. Visit time: up to a few hours.

• Information/Tours: Hoover Dam (Bureau of Reclamation)
• Colorado River Bridge (Hoover Dam Bypass Project)

Historic Route 66 - Kingman to Seligman

Arizona's Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman is the longest remaining stretches of the historic highway. Here is a chance to see a few of the remaining businesses and places that still exist from the old days. Some of the highlights going west to east:

• Kingman - Route 66 strip features many of the historic restaurants and motels with their flashy neon signs. The historic (built in 1907) Kingman Powerhouse Visitor Center downtown features the Route 66 Museum.
• Hackberry - The Hackberry General Store is loaded with antiques and roadside memorabilia. Offers snacks and souvenirs.
• Valentine - Features Keepers of the Wild Nature Park, a santuary for rescued exotic animals.
• Peach Springs - Headquarters of the Hualapai Nation. The nation offers recreational opportunities in the western end of the Grand Canyon and has a resort (motel, restaurant, visitor center) here, about 45 miles east of Kingman. Their feature attraction is the recently opened Grand Canyon Skywalk (see below). Peach Springs is the starting point for a popular one-day white water raft trip in the Grand Canyon as well as the the Diamond Creek Road, the only auto access to the bottom of Grand Canyon.
• Grand Canyon Caverns - Spectacular caverns accessed by guided tour. The long-time attraction also has a motel, restaurant, and campground. The new Cavern Suite at the bottom of the caverns is available to guests.
• Seligman - Features the Route 66 Gift Shop and Visitor Center.

• Grand Canyon West - Grand Canyon Skywalk Guide
• Grand Canyon Caverns
• Guide to Route 66, Seligman to Topock
• Driving Route 66 (Arizona Republic)
• Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona

Grand Canyon West - Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Hualapai Nation offers a variety of recreational opportunities at Grand Canyon West (off of US-93) and Peach Springs (on Route 66). Their feature attraction is the recently 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. Other activities include helicopter tours, Colorado River raft trips, Indian village, cookouts, etc. Air and ground transport to and from Las Vegas available in all-inclusive tours.

Peach Springs is the starting point for the one-day white water raft trip in the Grand Canyon as well as the the Diamond Creek Road, the only auto access to the bottom of Grand Canyon. A permit is required to drive the Diamond Creek Road which is marginally drivable by passenger cars. It is a little rough at the bottom - inquire locally about road conditions. There is a motel, restaurant, and visitor center (in the motel) at Peach Springs.

• Grand Canyon West - Grand Canyon Skywalk Guide
• Grand Canyon Skywalk Overview
• Diamond Creek Road - Drive to Bottom of Grand Canyon

The Old West Town of Oatman - Route 66 West of Kingman

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.

From Kingman, take I-40 west one exit, then go west on Route 66. En route, stop at the Cool Springs gift shop and museum. The owner beautifully restored the ruins of an antique gas station into perfect condition. The winding but highly scenic road through the Black Mountains into Oatman is slow and tedious with hairpin curves.

• Oatman Chamber of Commerce
• Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona
• Cool Springs
• Where to stay near Oatman
• Guide to Route 66, Seligman to Topock

Northern Arizona Destinations - Grand Canyon National Park

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 are about the same distance. An overnight stay is recommended for either destination at minimum.

Our online guides covering Northern Arizona:

• Grand Canyon Area Travel Guide
• Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon Travel Guide (includes Verde Valley, Prescott, and Jerome)
• Northern Arizona Travel Guide
  
  

Other guides and articles for Northern Arizona:

• Grand Canyon Destinations (six articles)
• Oak Creek Canyon - Slide Rock State Park
• Beyond the Pavement - Schnebly Hill Road
• West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon
• Visit Sedona (Chamber of Commerce)
• Oak Creek Canyon - Red Rock Country (National Forest Service)
• Slide Rock State Park
• Grand Canyon Railway (Williams, AZ)
• South Rim - Tusayan Guide (Chamber of Commerce)
• Havasu Falls (Havasupai Reservation)
• Grand Canyon National Park (NPS)
• National Park Service Grand Canyon Trip Planner

Las Vegas Area Travel Guide Index

• Hoover Dam, Northern Arizona, Route 66, Grand Canyon
• City of Las Vegas
• Las Vegas Area - East (Lake Mead / Valley of Fire)
• Las Vegas Area - West (Red Rocks / Mt. Charleston)
• Utah National Parks Loops
• Death Valley Area and Mojave National Preserve
• Travel Itineraries

• Northern Arizona
• Grand Canyon Area
• Southern Utah
• Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon
• Lake Powell