My first trip out west. I had no idea what to expect, except for what I had seen in movies. VEGAS! Always seems to incite this unexplainable excitement and then craziness and hilarity ensues.
Flying into Vegas will certainly get you amped. The insanely beautiful mountains surrounding this strange anomaly of oddly shaped buildings in the middle of the desert is quite the build-up. Flights to Vegas are cheap, and so are a lot of hotels. That, plus the hype surrounding the location are enough to draw in the curious.
And to be honest- I didn't get it.
The actual strip was so confusing to me. Unless you have money to gamble, or just really want to just be drunk at any given time, I don't understand how you could legitimately vacation here and be entertained for days. It just felt like a bigger, louder Atlantic City, without the trashy beach. I tried exploring the hotels, the pool party all day, eating all the burgers from different TV chefs (ok, that part I liked), but it just felt like a never-ending line to get somewhere overpriced and full of people I would have prefered at a frat party rather than on vacation.
So to those who truly just are looking for a party or have the extra funds to spend on gambling- by all means, go hog wild. But if you're looking for anything more, I don't think you're missing out on anything if you never make it to the strip.
So no, just Vegas alone?
Not worth it.
BUT...
Las Vegas provides an excellent hub to some great nature spots. I know- Vegas and nature?! But you'd be surprised where you can get to within an hour or two from Vegas.
First stop? Head out to Red Rock National Canyon (not to be confused with Red Rocks in Colorado). This park holds a 13 mile loop with plenty of places to photograph and explore trails off of, and ended up being the inspiration for my out west road trip I did the following year.
There are different ways to explore this park, but I chose a scooter tour, and riding on the back of a bike, the open air and the mountains- nothing better. It's only a thirty minute drive from the center of Vegas, and if you are going to do anything off the strip, I highly suggest starting here.
Next? The Grand Canyon! Again, I did this one with a tour, and chose to go a bit further out to the south rim to avoid the tourists at the west rim, which is closer to Vegas. This of course could be a whole other "worth-it" topic, but to spare you time, I say yes. Your eyeballs won't even be able to process what is in front of them. I hope to one day get back to the Grand Canyon and get to go down into the valleys, formed by the Colorado River.
Need more nature? Try Lake Mead. The lake was formed by the Hoover Dam and you can take a lovely dinner cruise at sunset, which will give you a backside view of the dam and gorgeous views of the golden rocks. The lake is also popular for water sports and boating.
There are so many other places that are within a few hours drive of Vegas. I actually started my out west trip there because of flight prices, and made it to Zion National Park in about three hours. It's also possible to get to Cali in shorter time. A rental car could be the best thing you pay for in Vegas.
So while nature might be the last thing you think of when you hear "Vegas," you will be pleasantly surprised if like me, you just can't comprehend the appeal of the strip. (Sorry, Vegas).
-Jessie
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