Las Vegas is world-famous, but the attractions around Las Vegas are even more unforgettable, giving you the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas and into the peace and tranquility of nature.
This article summarizes more than a dozen attractions within a five-hour drive of Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). Spring and fall are prime times to visit Las Vegas, as well as to see the many sights around the city.
If you are planning a vacation to Las Vegas, make sure to read the Las Vegas Travel Tips in detail, and also you must not miss the surrounding landscape of Las Vegas as well. They can add a very different side to your trip.
The red markers from 1 to 13 in the map below mark 13 can’t-miss sights around Las Vegas.
To rank them from closest to furthest away: the top-ranked Red Rock Canyon is less than half an hour from Las Vegas, while the 13th-ranked Grand Canyon National Park is about four and a half hours away.
- Red Rock Canyon
- Seven Magic Mountains
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Hoover Dam
- Valley of Fire State Park
- Mojave National Preserve
- Death Valley National Park
- Zion National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Coconino National Forest
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Below, we talk to you about each of these top 10 Las Vegas neighborhood attractions.
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Table of Contents
1. Red Rock Canyon
- Travel distance: 27 minutes
- Google Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (22,556 reviews)
- Best time to visit: May, June, September, October
- Official Website: View
- Map: Google Maps
- What to do: hiking, climbing, biking, camping, seeing unique landscapes
- Detailed Travel Guide: Red Rock Canyon: Away from the Hustle and Bustle of Vegas
Red Rock Canyon is about a 30-minute drive from downtown Las Vegas.
Red Rock Canyon is dominated by a red sandstone landscape, which you can access by car, driving along the only road in the reserve, or by hiking one of the different hiking trails in the reserve.
2. Seven Magic Mountains
- Google Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (11,087 reviews)
- Best time to visit:
- Official Website:View
- Map: Google Maps
- What to do: Enjoy colorful boulder totems, release sky lanterns, enjoy musical performances
It is about a 30-minute drive from downtown Las Vegas.
The scenic area features seven huge, colorful boulder totems, the work of Swedish artist Ugo Rondinone, and the attraction is free to enter.
About 4.5 miles south of Seven Devils Mountain, there is an event site that hosts a sky lantern release on the first Friday and Saturday of October each year. Upon purchasing a ticket to enter, each visitor receives two eco-friendly sky lanterns, as well as markers, and there are also musical performances at the site.
3. Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Travel distance:30 minutes
- Best time to visit: April, May, October
- Official Website:View
- What to do: camping, motoring, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving, enjoying the beauty of the mountains
Here’s a video of Lake Texaco National Recreation Area for you to check out.
4. Hoover Dam
- Travel distance: 45 minutes
- Google Rating: 4.7 / 5.0 (47,126 reviews)
- Best time to visit:
- Buy Tickets:View
- Map:Google Maps
It is approximately a 45-minute drive from downtown Las Vegas. Open daily from 5:00 am – 9:00 pm PST. note: you won’t be able to enter at 4:15 pm PST. Also, Hoover Dam is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
There are three ticket options for visiting Hoover Dam:
- Free Travel: $10
- Admission to the original power plant: $15
- Tickets for access to the tunnel and the top of the dam: $30
The dam was built in 1931 to provide Las Vegas with sufficient electricity. The dam is very large, 221 meters high and 79 meters wide, and intercepts several rivers, thus enclosing Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the world.
5. Valley of Fire State Park
- Travel distance: 45 minutes
- Google Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (12,050 reviews)
- Best time to visit:
- Official Website:View
- Map:Google Maps
- What to do: Hiking, climbing, and seeing unique landscapes
It is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Las Vegas.
Valley of Fire State Park is one of the oldest parks in the area, established in 1935, and one of the largest.
The scenic area, like the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, is characterized by red sandstone as the main geological feature, and there are paved roads for driving tours, as well as different hiking trail entrances on either side of the road for hiking tours and up-close views of the sandstone cliffs.
6. Mojave National Preserve
- Travel distance: 50 minutes
- Google rating: 4.6/5.0 (14,176 reviews)
- Best time to visit: May, June, September, October
- Official Website:View
- What to do: camping, horseback riding, hiking, desert landscapes, the Gobi, mountains full of wildflowers
This is the hottest and coldest desert region in the U.S. It’s an hour and a half drive from Death Valley National Park, so there’s a lot of detail in the topography and landscape of the two areas.
Here is a detailed description of the Mojave National Preserve:
7. Death Valley National Park
- Travel distance:2 hours
- Google Rating: 4.7/5.0 (15,871 reviews)
- Best time to visit: February, March, November
- Official Website: View
- What to do: see real deserts, salt flats, rugged lands, valleys and other natural landscapes, stargazing, hiking, camping
- Detailed guide:Death Valley National Park Guide
Death Valley National Park is the hottest and driest area in the U.S., with high temperatures once reaching 56.7°C. The park has a large amount of desert areas with a variety of bizarre landforms, such as salt flats, colored valleys, and of course, dunes.
It’s about 2 hours from Las Vegas and 4 hours from Los Angeles, so it’s easy to schedule about a 1 to 2-day trip.
The video below details the features and landforms of Death Valley National Park:
8. Zion National Park
- Travel distance: 2 hours and 42 minutes
- Google rating: 4.8/5.0 (32,477 ratings)
- Best time to visit: April, May, September, October
- Official website: US National Park Service
- What to do: hiking, camping, biking, climbing, canyon viewing
- Detailed Travel Tips:Zion National Park Tips
Zion National Park is located in Utah, about a 3-hour drive from Las Vegas, and has numerous colorful gorges and hikes throughout the park, making it a great place for hiking and exploring.
Zion National Park is one of the most popular U.S. national parks, featuring a variety of canyons and clear rivers as the main address features that allow you to enjoy the gifts of nature.
The video below details what Zion National Park has to offer and where to go:
9. Joshua Tree National Park
Travel distance:3 hours - Google rating: 4.8/5.0 (16,616 ratings)
- Best time to visit: March, April, October, November
- Official website: US National Park Service
- What to do: camping, horseback riding, hiking, biking, climbing, bird watching, flower watching, stargazing’
10. Grand Canyon National Park
- Travel distance: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Google Rating: 4.8/5.0 (53,709 reviews)
- Best time to visit: March~May, September~November
- Official website: US National Park Service
- What to do: Camping, hiking, biking, and enjoying a variety of exotic canyon views
- Detailed Travel Tips:Grand Canyon National Park
11. Coconino National Forest
- Travel distance: 4 hours
- Google rating: 4.8/5.0 (21,923 reviews)
- Best time to visit: June ~ September
- Official website: US Forest Service
- What to do: camping, hiking, fishing, boating, picnicking, enjoying red rocks, pine forests, alpine tundra
12. Bryce Canyon National Park
- Travel distance:4 hours 15 minutes
- Google rating: 4.9/5.0 (21,544 reviews)
- Best time to visit: June ~ September
- Official website: US National Park Service
- What to do: Camping, hiking, viewing the characteristic rock pillars, photography
- Detailed Travel Tips:Bryce Canyon National Park Tips
13. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Travel distance:4 hours and 20 minutes
- Google rating: 4.7/5.0 (8,474 reviews)
- Best time to visit: May, June, September, October
- Official website: US National Park Service
- What to do: Boating, fishing, hiking, swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, and enjoying the wonders of Horseshoe Bay and Antelope Valley.
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