Vegas / Nevada in Dec / Jan ???
 

Hi there,
as part of our trip to the US, we are wanting to visit Vegas and other parts of Nevada.
We have been twice before, once in July and one time in December. ( can't remember what the weather was like in Decemeber )
We are from Australia and will be having Christmas somewhere in the US or Canada. ( wanting a white Christmas )
What will the weather be like at this time of the year?
Will it be easy to drive in Nevada? ( any weather / snow problems )
What are the other must sees for the state of Nevada?
We love Vegas but also want to see other places. Will probably have over a week or so.
Are there any other nice resorts in the desert area you would recommend?
Look forward to your suggestions and ideas.
Thanks
Donna

Las Vegas in Dec/Jan will most likely be sunny but chilly days. Highs 50s and maybe 60s. Snow is not likely unless you go into the mountains around Vegas. If you go north you may run into snow, the Tahoe/Reno/Carson city area get snow frequently in the winter.
From LV it is an easy hop over to Death Valley and the Furnace Creek Inn is a very nice winter desert resort.
Also, new places around Lake Las Vegas are supposed to be very nice.
If you want snow resorts, head for Lake Tahoe, several excellent places there.
You can drive the "Loneliest Highway" by taking U.S. 50 from Carson City to Ely.
If you go to Reno/Carson City area, check the historical sites around Genoa and Virginia City.
Have fun.

It will be chilly but not super cold in LV in December. Many parts of Nevada are desert and rarely see snow, but there are also very mountainous areas in Nevada around Lake Tahoe that get quite cold (Tahoe itself is a popular ski resort area). I would expect driving there can be difficult if there is a major snowfall. This part of Nevada just had some torrential rains, for example, that have caused a great deal of damage (not in Tahoe but in the general vicinity). Also, the Great Basin area may still be accessible in December, but you'd want to check to see if the highways there close (there's a national park, but it's pretty isolated).

Having said all that, if you have never been to Las Vegas I'd recommend you stay on the Strip rather than out of town. I recently stayed at Red Rock Resort, which is about 10 miles from the Strip, and I loved it, but the drive is at least 30 minutes (quite doable, but with a lot of traffic).

The state can be quite scenic, but the best scenery is in the fall rather than winter, in my opinion (unless you want to try skiing).

But within 2 or 3 hours of Las Vegas are some of the most dramatically beautiful national parks in Utah, Zion and Bryce Canyon. Bryce gets snow in the winter, but I don't think snow is quite so likely in Zion. Still, I think it would be beautiful.

You could also easily get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon (the North Rim will be closed because of snow).

Yes, boom_boom has made a very good recommendation: Death Valley. That's a great place to go in the winter.

Dec/Jan will be cold, but not terribly cold....sometimes at night it gets very chilly, but overall, I think those two months are good to visit vegas....there isnt the issue of the extreme heat like in the summer

the desert is beautiful near and around vegas...and then you can always hop over to los angeles or arizona! :)

Doug---I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your posts and appreciate your contributions as an editors. I wish Fodor's had more editors like you. :)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are much appreciated.
Donna

Any other ideas???
Donna