Las Vegas Day Trips You Can’t-Miss.

Often when people think of Las Vegas they don’t think too much beyond the bright neon signs, massive casinos, and endless entertainment! But Las Vegas is more than a city in the middle of the desert, it’s an ideal starting point for many day trips. So hiring a car is a must when staying in Las Vegas, even if it’s just for a few days. Within a couple of hours’ drive, you have incredible places like the Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire & Lake Mead. Keep reading for all the best Las Vegas day trips.

If you’re staying in Las Vegas for longer than a weekend I’m sure you’ll need a breather from the strip and there are so many great day trips. I was in Las Vegas for 7 days and spent 3 of the days on the road.

There are so many affordable car hire companies in Vegas, so finding a car that suits you won’t be an issue.

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Also, check with your hotel if they have car parks available and if you’ll charge additional for that. 

Here are my 5 favorite day trips from Las Vegas:

1) Helicopter Ride Over & Into The Grand Canyon

I was blown away by how incredible this tour was! The scenic flight took us over, Hover Dame & Lake Mead. The pilot was great at pointing out notable sights and talking about the history of the area. Then we landed in the Grand Canyon and had a champagne breakfast, sitting next to the Colorado River. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment and I was excited by every second of it. 

The company I booked with was called Papillon Helicopters and my husband & I did the Grand Celebration Tour. This company also does stand-by rates for airline staff, so if this is you check if you’re eligible. 

Papillon Helicopters tours depart from Boulder City Municipal Airport, which is about a 30 minutes drive from the Vegas Strip. If you have time after your tour the city center isn’t far away. There isn’t much there but we did have lunch at an awesome diner in the center of town. It was the busiest place in the area and is famous for their Bloody Marys. 

2) Valley Of Fire 

This is one of the closest National Parks to the strip. It’ll take you less than two hours to arrive at the main entrance. The whole park is absolutely beautiful with so much open space & beautiful viewpoints. On a sunny day, the red sandstone formations will look as if they’re on fire, hence the park’s name.

The park has heaps of walking tracks and picnic areas, but we only saw one food store. So if you plan on eating make sure you take everything with you. At the entrance, you’ll be given a map but it’s basically one road around the park so would be very hard to get lost. We drove around the park for a couple of hours, stopping a few times for photos, and did two of the walking tracks. 

There is a small fee to enter the state park and at the time we were there it was $10.00 per vehicle. Keep a lookout for wildlife as well, the park is known for having many different species. We saw a few rams and squirrels.

3) Lake Mead National Recreation Area

We hadn’t originally planned to come past Lake Mead, we were on our way to Valley of Fire when we did. No regrets though, the drive was beautiful and we had flown over the lake in the Helicopter so it was great seeing it from ground level. This spot would be awesome if you’re interested in water sports, jet ski, fishing, or water skiing! I’m sure this area would be so busy in the summer. 

The cost to enter the park was $25.00 and then we had to pay again to enter Valley of Fire. So if you didn’t want to particularly come here you can just head north out of Las Vegas and arrive at Valley of Fire from there. 

By the time we figured this out though there was no point turning back to we carried on. It was a beautiful drive through the park, oh, and be aware that there is limited to no mobile phone coverage in this area.   

4) Seven Magic Mountains  

I’m sure by now you’ve seen photos of this large art installation while scrolling Instagram. This was put together in 2016 and is located on public land so there is no fee for entering. At this point Seven Magic Mountains isn’t a permanent installation, so beyond 2021, it may be gone.

The drive from the strip is less than 30 minutes and you can’t miss it as you’re driving down the road. 

It’s definitely a random thing to see out in the desert but it’s weirdly beautiful, especially in the late afternoon. Take some time to wander around the area and I’m sure you’ll be able to get photos without people in the background.