This is the final pahse of planning this surpirise vacation for my husband and me...any thoughts out there about which tour to take: Valley of Fire / Lake Mead / Mojave Desert; Red Rock Canyon; or Hoover Dam???

We don't have time to do all of them and I think that would be a bit much, but 1/2 a day on one would be ideal. Has anyone done any of these tours? Or am I better off renting a car on my own and just taking the time to hike around? We leave next week (could it be any hotter there???!) and weather does play a role there too. Any thoughts are very much appreciated.

We usually rent a car when in Vegas, and explore off the Strip a day or two. We've been to Hoover Dam twice -once for a Hard-Hat Tour (they aren't doing those any more) and once for a regular tour. Both were very interesting. We've also been to Valley of Fire, Red Rock, and Death Valley. Las Vegas is extremely hot in the summer, so if you are hiking, drink LOTS of water and find some shade occassionally. We liked Red Rock and Valley of Fire, but not Death Valley.

I haven't been on the other tours, but the nice thing about Hoover Dam is a pretty good portion of it inside, and they have good air conditioning. It was 114 when we were there in May! It was a really interesting tour, too.

Lee Ann

Thanks for the imput. I thnk we may just rent a car...I like that idea and that way we are free to explore on our own.

Any thoughts about which one to explore over the others if we only have one day to do so?

I've been to Red Rock and the Valley of Fire tours.

If you don't have time for more then 1 tour, then the Valley, no doubt here. The tour will have a stop at Lake Mead for lunch and at an oasis in Mojave Desert.

Thanks for the ideas! I think we'll try that tour last mentioned.

When we went to the Valley of Fire, we rented a convertible for one day from the hotel. It was more expensive to rent a convertible than a regular car, but it probably compares to going on a guided tour. We had a map, and we had no trouble finding the Valley of Fire. We loved it, and we loved being able to stop when we wanted to stop.

We're going back to LV in October and plan to stay near Zion (at the Desert Pearl) for 3 nights.

How far is Zion from the strip? Isn't that a national park? And can that be a day trip?

Zion is about 3 hours from Vegas. Exploring Zion takes a day in itself, if you do go, visit "the narrows" it is beautiful. Some other tour suggestions, the ones that go to the dam often visit Ethel M's chocolate factory on the way back, and they have a nice cactus garden out front. Also, there is a new double decker tour company here that does tours to the dam.

Zion National Park is 163 miles from the Las Vegas Strip and will take just under 3 hours to drive..one way. This makes an excellent day trip, but it will take all day. It would be even better if you could spend the night in Springdale.

If you go to Zion, make sure you ride the free shuttle buses into the canyon. The Riverside Walk at the end of the shuttle bus route is a easy 2 mile round trip hike into the heart of the canyon.

If you are just looking for a 1/2 day trip then Valley of Fire State Park or Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area are both excellent choices.

Utahtea

Just got back from Vegas last week. Went on a one day white water rafting tour through Grand Canyon- for hubby's birthday- we both loved it. It's an all day thing- might be a little too long 5am-6pm. They provide transport from hotel, by van (less expensive) or by plane. Saw Grand Canyon, obviously, and Hoover Dam and Joshua Tree National Forest(briefly by van ride). Great being on the water for the hot weather. Helicopter ride out was cancelled becuz of bad weather coming in, but 1/2 the group made it out in time. Questions, I can email more info. Was incredible. We would want to do it for a longer amount of time next year. Good luck with whatever you decide.