OK, 5 Irish couples going to Vegas in late January (29th) for 5 days.

Will it be possible to make it to the Grand Canyon at that time or will the roads be closed? Besides the Strip, what other outdoor attractions should we think of.. white water rafting?

If you are doing this as a day trip from Vegas, the Grand Canyon is a bit far, as it's about 275 miles away per mapquest.com. And you bring up a good point about possible road conditions. They do have airplane and helicoptor tours from Vegas. I don't know what it costs, but it might be worth it if this will be your only chance to see the Grand Canyon.

I think you may have been misled by the fact that Las Vegas is in the desert and is so hot in the summer. It is not hot in the winter.

In January the temp rarely goes above 60 during the day and may be in the 30's at night. And the Grand Ganyon is distinctly colder.

The hotels outdoor pools are closed and I can't imagine you could raft without wet suits - even if anyone offered it (the trips usually end in October).

I believe you can still visit Hoover Dam - and can visit the Canyon and view from the top - if the weather conditions allow.

It's about a two hour drive to Death Valley, where it'll be a good bit cooler than the approaching 50 (Centigrade!!!) it was last week.

The views both in the Valley and on the way are spectacular and about as unIrish as you could imagine (even down to a garish and highly promoted roadside brothel if you drive via Pahrump). There are some stunning-looking walks (Golden Canyon for example) which would be comfortable at that time of the year. But check at the visitor centre for safety rules before you start. For us, it's really shocking to be somewhere that dry and dehydration can be a real risk.

By the way, if you don't fancy the drive to the Grand Canyon (and the plane trips were running $250-300) there are quite a few there and back in a day bus trips on sale.

There could be snow at the Grand Canyon. I don't think any river rafting is available at this time of year. The water would be icy and you would be in deep shade for a good part of your trip. Brr..

Five days in Las Vegas is a long time. You might want to rethink your itinerary.

Some years they get snow in Vegas. You can get lucky and invent "white snow rafting"

specs, did you notice this question was posted over 2 years ago?