Las Vegas area in mid-April

[benny_stevens]

Hi,

I will be in Las Vegas in mid April and I wonder if this is a good

time for nature/landscape photography in that area (flowers etc.?)

It is a one week business trip and I'm afraid we will only have one

free day to visit. We are thinking to rent a car and head to Death

Valley or the Grand Canyon.

Since my colleague is not photography oriented I am hesitating to

bring too much gear that I won't get to use on that one day trip

anyway. I also don't know if it is a good time of year in the Vegas

area to justify bringing my F3HP and for example a 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5

zoom lens (I'd have to haul those around all the time in the

convention centre). The alternative is to bring my P&S (Yashica T5)

but I fear I might miss a lot of shots then. Where do you advise to go

on that single day and what gear would you take?

Thanks and greetings,

[frank_kolwicz]

I don't know what the peak season for flowers is around LV, but April is a good bet.

 

I just drove the Lake Mead scenic route last week and you don't have to go all the way to the Grand Canyon or Death Valley for some decent desert scenery - go to Valley of Fires State Park near Lake Mead and do the scenic drive around the west side of the lake. You'll save hours of driving and have a lot more time to make some images.

 

Valley of Fires is a bunch of redrock outcrops and valleys and will probably occupy you all day.

[craig_gillette]

Stay local (Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, etc.) if you want to be able to concentrate on both scenery and pictures. Death Valley is a ways away: per the triple A map, the loop via Baker and out via Beatty is over 7 hours. The Grand Canyon is not a reasonable day trip, another map I have shows travel time from LV to the South Rim as over 4 hours. These may be conservative but probably aren't too far off, especially if you expect to stop periodically. Lots of visitors don't realize just how big the area is out here.

 

You'll have to decide if you can't live without your gear. No hotel safe? No car trunk? Although the flower season is certainly a good time, the area is photogenic all year-round.

[david_henderson]

It's 275 miles from Vegas to the Grand Canyon, so I wouldn't take any photo gear as you won't have time to use it, and if you did you wouldn't see the Canyon at its best in the middle of the day. Death Valley is a better option -about a couple of hours - though again I have to say that all the best photographs I've ever made -or seen - from Death valley are made very early or late in the day so you'll either have to settle for a very long day or not seeing the place in good light. About the same distance of course is Zion NP - very nice in April though you'd have to use the shuttle bus in the valley itself. I've been there in April and it was very nice. Much closer to Las Vegas and a much easier day is Red Rock Canyon- only about 20 miles to the west and quite photogenic. Valley of Fire-northeast of Vegas is often recommended though I've never been there, so maybe someone else can comment on that. You can get down to Lake Mead that way too.

 

Don't get tempted to take the road to Grand Canyon in the hope you'll find something on the way. There's nothing - and nothing includes the dam. If this wasn't the nature forum I might be tempted to suggest that there are worse days (and nights) photography than round the hotels of Vegas.

[rmohan]

I just made a recent first time trip to Death Valley. I agree with the posters above that you remain close to Las Vegas and try to visit Red Rock, Valley of fire etc. However, if you are really keen to go to Death Valley you can still make it in a day. Its about 150 miles and dump the AAA map. Take blue diamond expressway from I-15 south. When you reach Pahrump, cross the Terrible's town and turn left into Belle Vista Rd. Drive till the end and you will hit Amargosa Jnc(thats bout 80 miles from vegas). Turn right and immediate left into 190. In 120 miles from vegas you enter DV and about 30 miles or so you will be close to tourist spots. You can do badwater, golden canyon, natural bridge, devil's golf course artist's palette in one day, its all in one road within 20 miles and if you have time to spare go to Dante's view. But make sure you are in the desert for sunrise and sunset. Or you can make as 'far as you can go trip too' in that route. I would strongly recommend taking your 35-105 lens and at least a monopod. Sunrise and sunset demand long exposure and shouldn't be missed. Let me know if you need more details. Have fun .. Rajesh

[tom_hill1]

If the winter has been especially wet, Death Valley can be particularly awesome. The flowers can cover the valley during those years. I highly recommend the place even if it takes 2 hours to get there. Dawn and sunset are both spectacular. If you go, take your wide angle. The colors wonderful

 

Cheers.

[benny_stevens]

Thank you so much to all of you for this very helpful and highly appreciated expert advice. Not only did I decide to take the F3+zoom, but also a monopod. I might even bring the T5 for some general black & white shots of the desert (à la Raymond Depardon). Already looking forward to it too...

Thanks!

[jim_doty]

One more vote for Valley of Fire, especially at sunrise or sunset.<div></div>

[cliffcalhoun]

Another vote for Valley of Fire with Red Rock Canyon as a close second.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[benny_stevens]

Jim, thanks for the nice picture... Valley of Fire and Red Rocks it will be!

Thank you to all of you!

[glenn_tamblingson1]

The word around is that the weather has been wet since the fall, so desert flowers should be real good this year. If possible, it's not too far to get to Zion National Park. I would take any time possible and shoot whatever I could. If not, the Valley of Fire should be good. You can do some cool architectural stuff there in Vegas day or night also. Have fun and shoot lots of film, just be sure to get any film hand checked at the airport (out of canisters and in a clear plastic bag) so the x-ray equipt. doesn't fog your film.

[ellard_gann]

The above mentioned Red Rock Canyon and The Valley of Fire

are indeed great choices but don't overlook Sigfried & Roy's

Secret Garden at the Mirage Hotel for some outstanding shots of

the famous white tigers.

 

Ellard Gann

[FilmPhotography-DuaneHorne]

We travelled from Las Vegas to death Valley via Beatty NV. I think it was a two hour drive to Beatty and then about 45 minutes to Stove Pipe Wells, which are just a few miles from Mesquite Dunes. If you have a very limited time, gor to Red Rock Canyon, Lake Meade or Valley of Fire.