Advice needed to places near las vegas

[manishraichur]

Hi All

I am planning a 3 day trip to vegas in last week of december.

Can you guys recommend me a daytrip close to vegas to photograph?

 

I was thinking of Zion, or Sedona.

 

Thanks a lot for all your help.

 

Manish

[stemked]

Manish,

 

Not that I've been there for a while, but Valley of Fire State Park is fairly close and fascinating. I think Zion is a very long way to go for a day trip.

[lonebearimages]

Probably 20-30 minutes directly west of downtown Las Vegas is a beautiful BLM national recreation area, Red Rock Canyon. Depending upon where you are you in the park you can get some wonderful shots in the a.m. and p.m. As was mentioned, Valley of Fire State Park is beautiful too. Pretty long trips to both Sedona and Zion, with Zion the closer of the two. Death Valley National Park is about 150 miles west from Vegas. You can spend time in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and find some nice shots of the lake at sunrise or sunset, and then visit Hoover Dam. Have fun and post your shots when you get back. Cheers! Chris

[J.W. Wall]

Sedona, Arizona is many hours away by road.

[manishraichur]

Do you guys recommend Death valley in december?

 

Thanks for all the above responses

[sergey_oboguev]

December is certainly a nice time to visit Death Valley, but it is hardly suitable for a day trip. Death Valley is huge. For a first visit there I'd advise 5 days minimum in Death Valley alone.

 

If you are looking for something that fits day trip from LV, stay with either Valley of Fire or Red Rock Canyon. Even Valley of Fire alone can easily take 3+ days of shootings. If you look to spend the day I'd say start with Valley of Fire in the AM and either stick with it for the afternoon as well, or possibly consider moving to Red Rock Canyon in the PM (best shooting angles in the latter are in the PM). Valley of Fire is larger than Red Rock Canyon and provides much more shooting opportunities and more colors, but Red Rock Canyon has Joshua trees in addition to rocks.

[klix]

Redrock is the obvious one -- about a 25 minute-drive west of the Strip off of Charleston.

 

Hoover Dam is no longer a friendly place to visit, due to all the restrictions -- check first if you absolutely must go.

 

If you've got the budget, the Grand Canyon is a short helicopter ride (I think $250 per person? - check first), or if you're willing to devote an entire day, there are Grand Canyon bus tours that depart Vegas around 6am and get you back around 10pm.

 

Have fun!

 

KL

[sunnyindy]

I used to live in Vegas, and just visited there during Thanksgiving. I went to Zion and Red Rock during the 3 nights, Zion is about 3 hours one way, so I stayed one night in Zion. However, it wasn't enough time, especially for photography. Red Rock is only 45 min from the Strip. If you thinking only for a day, I recommend Red Rock. The colors of the rocks are amazing.

[savagesax]

Death Valley is a hike. Great place to visit this time of year because no one is around. Weather is cold up in the mountains and warm at sea level. A long drive from Vegas though for a 1 day trip.

[lee_glider]

Being a Las Vegas native, I also suggest Red Rock Canyon. Just minutes from town, the short drive will give you PLENTY of time to explore and capture some great images. If you are a hiker, be sure to check out the Sandstone Quarry/Calico tanks area and turtlehead peak trail.

 

Enjoy !

[Two23]

Isn't the Mustang Ranch fairly close to Las Vegas?

 

 

Kent in SD

[savagesax]

Kent, I forgot about that place. It's full of beauty. Don't forget to photograph the unusual rubber tree as you enter. Has many late fall colors including glow in the dark.

[wayne_west1]

if you only have one day then go to valley of fire 50 miles north. take the white domes easy

1.2 mile hike early if possible [ it's mindblowing ]. you can then hit red rock in plenty of time

for the late afternoon - early evening...enjoy!

[bob_flood1]

Red Rock faces east, so it's better for sunrise shooting - you just get silouettes (sp?) at sunset. Valley of Fire can be very good at sunset if you want to drive across the city and out there. Death Valley is a 3 hour drive from the strip and has Dante's View, Zabriski Point, Artist's Point, and the dunes at Stovepipe Wells easily available in one day. Expect water at Badwater and snow in the Panamints on the west side of the valley.

 

Zion is about 3 hours from the strip and would be grgeat with snow, less so in winter without snow. Sedona has to be 5-6 hours each way (haven't tried it in one day).

 

Bob in Las Vegas

[david_henderson]

The problem you have is that many of the better opportunities in Zion and Death Valley will be most worthwhile at or near sunrise and sunset. Things simply won't look their best photographically if you set off after breakfast and plan to be back for dinner. On the other hand you might consider a three hour drive each way in the dark to be less than thrilling.

 

For me, I'd enjoy Vegas and limit my travels to Red Rock Canyon or the Valley of Fire, and leave the others for times when I could organise to stay on the doorstep. Check what time Red Rock Canyon opens- I recall going there for dawn and having to wait while the rangers opened up the road, but that's a few years ago.

[savagesax]

David is correct. You really need to be in Death Valley in the morning for sunrise by the dunes. Zion you can play in the morning or the night with the sun. During the day keep a keen eye out for wildlife, because thats your only hope unless a cool storm comes in.

[manishraichur]

Thanks a lot for all your help guys.

 

Ok.. from reading everything i am leaning towards

spending only 1 1/2 days in LV and other 2 days in either Zion or Death Valley.

 

So which one do you suggest?

 

Thanks

 

manish

[lee_glider]

I`d say ..If you have never been to Zion..

 

GO TO ZION !

 

Oh, And pray for snow.. I will be there the last weekend of December, and I want to get some nice snow shots !

[imaginature]

Everyone is telling you Sedona is a long ways away, but no one has told you that it's about 8 hours in a car. Just thought you might want a little perspective on the actual distance. My inlaws left our recent wedding in Sedona and drove to Vegas (being in-laws, the time in transit may be a little questionable ;-) )

 

On the other hand, Sedona is more than worth a trip on it's own merit.

 

I'll be in Vegas for about a week in late March, so I'm looking for suggestions, as well.

 

Vince

[bob_flood1]

This is for Dave: Late March is spring wildflower season here. If we get as wet a winter as predicted, the flowers in Death Valley will be great, and there may still be fairly extensive water at Badwater. Badwater usually has an acre or a few of standing water, but following an above average winter, there can be miles of water, all of it knee-deep. In Feb and Mar 2005, I got shots of people boating (kayaks and canoes) at Badwater in the warm sunrise light with the Panamint Mountains reflected. Mid morning I got the mountains and Ansel-Adams-sky reflected in that water. Wildflowers were everywhere.

 

Another great opportunity will be Antelope Valley in California for the mother lode of poppies. It's west of Vegas - just north of the San Gabriel Mountains, west of the town of Lancaster. A little south of there, at the true edge of the mountains, Leona Valley has some intersting backroads with flowering trees.

 

Bob in Las Vegas

[jay_piper1]

For a 3 day trip more time to explore what's nearby may be better than a dash to someplace 4 hrs or more away.

 

Here are a few ideas, starting with what's been said by several already:

 

Red Rocks - look at we site for trail descriptions, 1/2 west of Las Vegas Blvd "strip"

 

Valley of Fire - Mouse's Tank (petroglyphs) other trails mentioned - drive here one way on Lake Mead National Recreation Area northshore road and then if you like return via I-15 or come back thru LMNRA again. 1 hr NE of "strip". Many hikes along Northshore Rd en route, overllok above 'bowl of fire', redstone, these are marked by camera picto-signs along north shore road.

 

Grapevine Canyon - pale granite for scrambling, abundant petroglyphs - 1 hr S en route to Laughlin, take few miles of dirt road to N, off the road to Laughlin

 

Mohave National Reserve - about 1 hr SW of "strip" the Teutonia Peak area rivals Joshua Tree NM and there are dunes, restored rail depot too, within 2 hrs.

 

Sloan Canyon NCA is south of Anthem, 1/2 hr S of the Strip, very new - check access and hours.

 

Weather and road conditions permitting the drive up Lee Canyon, connecting to Kyle Canyon offers hikes at different elevations and desert mountain vistas and ponderosas, pinons and joshua trees, all 1 hr NW of the 'strip'.

 

Finally, Snow Canyon is a mini-Zion not as far into Utah, maybe 3 hrs NE.

 

And if you do want a road trip, consider Cathedral Gorge by way of Pahranagat NWR, NE on I-15 to US 93 N... it's at most 3 hrs away, the NWR is at hour 1 and boulder fields below 5,000 - 6,000 ft summits are at hour 2 en route...

 

 

Here are links:

 

http://www.nps.gov/lame/planyourvisit/hikenorthsh.htm

 

http://www.nps.gov/lame/planyourvisit/hikegvine.htm

 

http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/-hiking.htm

 

http://www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon/

 

http://www.nv.blm.gov/vegas/Sloan/

 

http://www.reviewjournal.com/recreation/parks/mtcharleston.html#hiking

 

http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park/index.php?id=SNSP

 

http://parks.nv.gov/cg.htm

 

 

Hope this helps!