Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Neon To Nature

Beyond-the-Neon Day Trips From Vegas

Route Distance

60 to 210 miles

Suggested Time

1+ Day Per Route

Positively brimming with grandeur, Nevada has the lion’s share of the wild west’s stunning scenery, intriguing geology and natural wonders. This 355-mile route on the Great Basin Highway takes in the highlights, beginning with red rock spires and sandstone canyons and ending with mountain peaks and ancient Bristlecone Pine forests. In five days, you’ll steer from Las Vegas to Ely to Great Basin National Park, immersing yourself in the larger-than-life landscapes of Valley of Fire State Park, Cathedral Gorge State Park, and many other fascinating state parks, including ghostly haunts and sites soaked in Nevada history.

Tour a famous wonder of the engineering world at Hoover Dam
Hike, cycle, or rock climb at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Wander among wildlife and ancient petroglyphs at Valley of Fire State Park

The Very Best Day Trips From Las Vegas

Where to Go Beyond the Glow

With day trips from Las Vegas in every direction, there’s plenty to satisfy your get-outside side without traveling too far from the Entertainment Capital of the World. Hit the Red Rockin’ Loop and hoof it around lush, oasis-like Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, stunning Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and a ghost town with its own saloon. Venture the Fire and Water Loop to Valley of Fire State Park, Gold Butte National Monument, Mesquite, and Lake Mead. Or cruise the Colorado River Corridor to tour Hoover Dam, chow down in Boulder City, tour a historic gold mine, and live it up on the Laughlin Riverwalk.

COMMUNITIES ON THIS TRIP

Boulder City, Laughlin, Mesquite, Moapa Valley, Goodsprings

Glovebox Essentials

Prepare for Your Adventure

Get ready to come chase some horizons with this handy tool kit. Here, you’ll find all the Neon to Nature road trip essentials, including downloadable directions, maps, and podcasts, and tunes to complement your upcoming adventure.

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Google Maps

Featured Story

Hitting Hoover? Boulder Move: Grab Onto Some Concrete History In The Town That Built It

Welcome to Nevada – Just the Place

Loop 1

Red Rockin’ Loop

Immerse yourself in craggy, red-banded beauty at Red Rock Canyon, lush greenery at historic Spring Mountain Ranch, and sagebrush saloon ambiance in Goodsprings Ghost Town.

Loop 2

Fire and Water Loop

Take the scenic route along Lake Mead’s edge to Valley of Fire, where famously photogenic orange and red rocks abound, then mosey to Mesquite for museums, art, and fine meals.

Loop 3

Colorado River Corridor

After touring Hoover Dam, head to Boulder City for epic eats and outdoor action, on land and water. Stop for a historic mine tour en route to Laughlin for more riverfront fun.

Loop 1

Red Rockin’ Loop

60 to 110 mi

Take a guided hike or yoga class in lush Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
Drive, cycle, or e-bike 13-mile Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive
Chase spirits in Goodsprings ghost town, then sip ’em at the Pioneer Saloon

Pack the snacks and book it to the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center to view a live desert tortoise habitat and hiking recs. Plan ahead and book a Timed Entry on Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive, the looping scenic drive Las Vegas visitors cherish for its stunning vista points and popular trail access. Next stop: tranquil Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, a verdant oasis full of hikes, historic buildings, and unique ranger programs. Add a trip to Goodsprings Ghost Town to wind down with burgers ‘n’ beers at the storied Pioneer Saloon.

Nevada is all about open-road adventures, but please brush up on travel restrictions and safety guidelines before heading for our horizons.

The Red Rockin’ Loop proves why we call this suite of day trips from Las Vegas “Neon to Nature.” And all this outdoor action is sure to make that hotel pillow feel extra plush. Here are our fave places to crash Downtown.

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Hikers head to Calico Basin’s larger-than-life landscapes. Climbers go crazy for more than 1,200 named routes, from short sport to 20-pitch pushes. Meanwhile, solace-seekers steal away to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

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If those original stamped tin walls could talk! The 1913-built Pioneer Saloon is home to legends, folklore, and Food Network-approved fare—all washed down with some notoriously killer drinks. Worth those extra miles, trust us.

Loop 2

Fire & Water Loop

120 to 175 miles

Navigate gleaming, striped rock formations at Valley of Fire State Park
Go as off-the-grid as it gets at Gold Butte National Monument
Discover Ancestral Puebloan culture at Lost City Museum

Valley of Fire is one of the most popular Las Vegas day trips—and with good reason. Nevada’s first and largest state park, formed when dinosaurs roamed the Silver State, offers unparalleled vistas of (or atop) other-worldly sandstone formations, plus chances aplenty to spy desert bighorn sheep and stone-carved calling cards from Nevada’s earliest human ancestors. But push on to discover fascinating museums, eye-catching art, off-road adventure, golf galore, and some amenity-packed resorts where you rest your head in style.

The border town of Mesquite is home to art, culture, great restaurants, and nine golf courses—all set against a stunning Virgin River Valley backdrop. Here are some of our favorite places to make a night of it in Mesquite.

Sweeten your trip with a milkshake at The Inside Scoop, or spice it up with Cajun cuisine at Sugar’s Home Plate—both in Moapa Valley. If you think your day’s work has earned you a huge, juicy steak: Katherine’s Steakhouse.

Light up your world with a mass ascension of lanterns into the Mojave Desert’s night sky, join a cele-BRAY-tion of one of Nevada’s sweetest wild critters, or sample your way around an old-fashioned pomegranate party.

Pomegranate Arts & Crafts Festival

Nevada Open Golf Championship

Donkey Jamboree

The Lights Fest

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Loop 3

Colorado River Corridor

70 to 250 miles

Catch a tour of Hoover Dam, or a vista of it from an 886-ft-high bridge
Hiking, paddling, and hot springing along the mighty Colorado River
Antique-shop, café-hop, and hit up museums in charming Boulder City
Get wild on the water or in seven lively resorts along the Laughlin Riverwalk

Without Hoover Dam, there’d be no Vegas. Tour the modern marvel and test your camera’s panorama mode from the 886-ft-tall, 1,905-ft-long viewing bridge—the longest of its kind in North America. Then explore Boulder City, the quiet, Art Deco-obsessed town that built it, where fascinating museums, cute shops, outdoor activities, and amazing eats abound. Stop for a tour of Techatticup Mine and poke around Nelson Ghost Town en route to Laughlin, where the party continues, in the resorts and, of course, on the Colorado River.

Treat yourself to famous Dole whip floats at Chilly Jilly’z, mom-and-pop classics at the postcard-perfect Coffee Cup Café, and “killer” burgers at The Dillinger—all in BC—or steak your claim at Laughlin’s chop houses.

From 4-day film fests, smoked meat celebrations, and the largest juried outdoor art fest in the Southwest to rallies for mountain bikes, off-road rigs, and motorcycles, these Colorado River towns know how to get down.

Best Dam Barbecue Challenge

Laughlin River Run

Polaris RZR UTV World Championship

Dam Short Film Festival

Art in the Park

Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Demo Fest

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#NeonToNature

Big city lights and breathtaking desert sights. See ‘em both (plus everything in between) and tag #NeonToNature so we can virtually tag along with ya.

Want a little more of the Weirdest, Wildest West?

Explore More Road Trips

Feel Free to wander. As the Road Trip Capital of the USA chances are, we’ve got a #NVRoadTrip with your name all over it. Maybe even 10 of ’em.

Great Basin Highway

From maze-like slot canyons and alpine lakes to story-filled ghost towns and Wild West saloons, take a journey along Nevada’s wide-open, park-packed eastern edge.

Great Basin Highway

From maze-like slot canyons and alpine lakes to story-filled ghost towns and Wild West saloons, take a journey along Nevada’s wide-open, park-packed eastern edge.

Free-Range Art Highway

Get ready to really put the “trip” road trip, visiting kaleidoscopic boulder towers, a forest of junk cars, a ghost town sculpture garden & other art-tastic, oddball attractions.

Free-Range Art Highway

Get ready to really put the “trip” road trip, visiting kaleidoscopic boulder towers, a forest of junk cars, a ghost town sculpture garden & other art-tastic, oddball attractions.

Get More Trip Ideas

Stories from Nevada

Looking for an insider’s perspective? We’ve got plenty. Discover surprising scenery, intriguing towns, oddball attractions, endless let’s-see-what-happens adventure opportunities, and where to find them—as shared by people who’ve lived it all.

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