Las Vegas is famous for its shows, casinos, girls, gambling and wild nightlife but it offers much more. This area is a recreational playground. Families can find plenty of outdoor activities in Las Vegas whether they have a weekend or an afternoon to spare. After having a busy schedule during the week, the following 10 best outdoor family activities around Las Vegas can do them some good.
1. Jumping off the Tower of Stratosphere
This three-legged tower, which soars 350m above its strip, is the tallest structure of this type in the western part of the US. You get dizzying views of its strip that has neon lights that flash at night if you zoom up its high-speed elevators when you take an ear-popping ride that lasts less than one minute. This Sky Jump attraction is open every day when the weather permits.
2. Hiking in the Fire Valley
You should drive northeast of the state park Fire Valley’s strip if you want southwestern desert scenery that resembles Hollywood westerns. The desert landscape features bizarre rock formations that have memorable names like the Mouse’s Tank, Arch Rock, and White Domes. If you take a closer look, there are Native American Petroglyph inscriptions on some rocks. The best time to hike or take photographs of the all-natural landscape is in the late afternoon or early morning.(image by Ken Lund).
3. Kayaking River Colorado
The Colorado River, which carves its way across the Grand Canyon, goes through the Hoover Dam. Taking a tour through the dam, which allows you to see the electricity generators at close range by going deep underground, is an extremely popular day trip that is meant for people who visit Vegas.
4. A helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon, which is a multicolored chasm that measures one mile deep, is probably the signature natural attraction in the USA. A window seat in a helicopter is a better way of appreciating its scope as compared to the way you would from the air. In addition, a helicopter is the fastest way of getting to this canyon from Las Vegas.
5. Golfing in Angel Park
There are many award-winning courses in Las Vegas for keeping golfers busy throughout the year. Some of these golf courses have long waiting lists, a snobby atmosphere, and exorbitant fees. However, things are different at Angel Park, which is in suburban Summerlin. This laid-back park is a favorite choice for locals because it has 36 holes that are designed by Arnold Palmer. It offers inspiring vistas of the Red Rock desert and Las Vegas Valley.
6. Cycling in Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, which is just a 30-minute drive to the west of the strip, is a technicolor natural conservation place that is made up of hiking trails that wind beyond prime areas for watching wildlife, seasonal waterfall oases and sandstone bluffs. You should tour the 13-mile scenic drive of the park by climbing on a bicycle if you want to see all things up close.
7. Zip-lining at Bootleg Canyon
There is a short-zip line at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. However, you should go out of town and head to the great outdoors that are near Boulder City, where you will find the Bootleg Canyon desert terrain, if you want the biggest thrills and your interest is not in the casino.(image by RetroAmerican).
8. Cruising across Lake Mead
This lake is the artificial lake whose creation occurred when the Hoover Dam stoppered up River Colorado for the first time in the 1930s. Nowadays, it is an oasis that is in the middle of the desert just outside Vegas. It remains a playground for swimming and boating particularly during summer even though its water levels are dropping and scientists are predicting that its chances of drying up in the next ten years are 50%.
9. Snowboarding and skiing near Mount Charleston
You should know the amount of powdery stuff that the mountains around Las Vegas receive each winter because Nevada stands for snow-covered. The Las Vegas Snowboard and Ski Resort is perfect for all intermediate skiers and beginners.
10. Racing dune buggies in the desert
You will see miles of extremely huge sand dunes that encircle Las Vegas when you fly into the city. You must rent a dune buggy if you want to get out there in order to experience cool stuff such as the wind blowing your hair around while you are bouncing over the terrain that cannot be handled by any normal car and the desert.
The list of outdoor family activities around Las Vegas is very long. However, the aforementioned are the best and hence, if you have nothing much to do it is time for you and your family to get out there and be adventurous by taking part in one of them.