Deserts

We are leaving for Vegas this coming Saturday (16th) and will be there the whole week following. We are going to see the Hoover Dam and would like to tour a nice desert park too. We planned on visiting the Valley of Fire, but someone told us that Red Rock Canyon is more popular and nicer. Any suggestions for a desert to visit. We don%26#39;t want to travel too far from Vegas.

Deserts

I think that the Valley of Fire is great! I do not agree that Red Rock Canyon is nicer, but it is probably a more popular place for people to visit, as it is only about 20-30 minutes from the ';strip';. Red Rock Canyon can be very crowded on weekends. There are some hiking trails and some nice scenery at Red Rock, but Valley of Fire has more to offer. I can%26#39;t remember how long the drive was from Vegas, but we came in the %26#39;back%26#39; way to Valley of Fire and ended up at the front entrance and then drove to Hoover Dam. Red rocks, red sand and a lot less people than Red Rock. I see that you are from PA, I am from Central New York, and the scenery at Valley of Fire was a lot different from what we are used to! Take a camera, exta film, and food and drink as the Park does not have any food service. I would plan on spending almost a whole day here and then maybe an hour at Hoover Dam. I don%26#39;t think they have the tours anymore at Hoover because of security. Red Rock is O.K. for a few hours but thats it. I love Death Valley too, but I would make that an overnight trip with advance reservations at Stovepipe Wells or Furnace Creek. If you have never been to Vegas and love to hike, wait untill your plane taxi%26#39;s into the airport and you can see the mountains that surround the Vegas area. Beautifull! I thought that renting a car was cheaper than the tours, driving in Vegas is a pain, and I only used our rental to leave the city or to drive to the downtown Vegas casino%26#39;s. Unless you want to use valet parking, walk or use a shuttle on the strip. Have a great time!

Deserts

Thanks for your response. Maybe we will just stick with Valley of Fire. I am just excited to see a desert. I know what you mean about it being soooo different than what we are used to. We do have a rental car for the whole week, so the drive is no big deal. I am sure we will just pick one day during the week instead of the weekend. Do they have souvenior shops there? My daughter wants me to bring back some of the Cactus candy they advertise on their website.

caron-from upstate ny also. how long does it take to get to the valley of fire?love the photo opt.! is it best to leave real early 7amish to avoid the heat? we will be there the 2nd week in april.thanks.

Valley of Fire is AWESOME. The reason Red Rock is more ';popular'; is that it is a 10-15 minute drive from LV and Valley of Fire is about an hour drive. In other words, most folks either don%26#39;t know about VOF or are too lazy to make the effort to see it. It is a great place for some peace and quiet during the day away from the masses in town. There are more than enough hikes to take a couple days, but a half day to full day is probably enough to see most of it. You will probably encounter less than ten cars there during your visit, it is that quiet. (See link.) Take the Interstate up and then drive back along Lake Mead.

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm