The Other Las Vegas
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
Las Vegas is a gambler's paradise, king of fantastic dining -- a glittering diamond in the Mohave Desert. But there's a lot more to Las Vegas than gaming and glitz. The other Las Vegas is one of red rock canyons and wilderness exploration. Locals love it, and visitors are finding out there's a lot more to this desert paradise than buffets and boulevards.
Desert National Wildlife Range
If you really want to see Las Vegas, you need to get off the Strip and get out into the desert. The Desert National Wildlife Range is about 23 miles north of Vegas, and a world away from the bright lights. Here you'll find desert bighorn sheep, migratory birds, and many other desert mammals. You'll also discover the peace and quiet of the Mohave Desert in this million-and-a-half acre preserve. The range encompasses five different and distinct climate zones, from the harsh desert, to the ponderosa pine and fir forests at 10,000 feet elevation.
Visitors are welcome to camp, backpack, hike, and ride horses in the range, but there is no water, so you need to bring your own. Roadside camping is also allowed along any maintained road in the park. The Desert National Wildlife Range is the largest wildlife refuge in the U.S., except for Alaska.
Red Rock Canyon
Red Rocks is so close to Las Vegas, you may not believe it. Only 15 miles northwest on Interstate 15 brings you to the Red Rock Loop Drive, a thirteen-mile, one-way scenic route through towering red and orange sandstone cliffs. There are plenty of pullouts along the road, so you can stop and enjoy the beautiful scenery. You can hike in Red Rocks, camp, and do some rock-climbing. Some of the trails are short, and easy for beginners, or visitors who may have eaten just a little too much at the breakfast buffet. There's also a picnic area located about midway along the scenic loop.
Also located inside the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, a look back at how Las Vegas was before gaming became big business. Spring Mountain was a working ranch, owned by several people including reclusive Howard Hughes. Today the ranch house and ranch buildings are open for tours.
A drive through Red Rocks can take an hour, or can take all day. In the spring, the desert floor is awash in brightly colored wildflowers, and in the winter, you might even see a dusting of snow.
Hoover Dam
Just about every visitor to Vegas knows about the Hoover Dam tour, and plenty of them have made the trek into the bowels of this gigantic man-made wonder on the Colorado River. But, did you know there's another, much more fascinating tour? It's called the "Hard Hat" tour, and it really takes you behind the scenes in Hoover Dam!
This special tour hasn't always existed, but many visitors clamored for more than the traditional tour offered. Now, if you can wear a hard hat, you can go inside the generator shaft gallery, the needle valve house, the inspection tunnels inside the dam, and many other areas that have until now been off limits.
Only 20 or so people are allowed on the tours at a time, so your tour will also be more intimate than the traditional tours. It's a good idea to make reservations at least a day in advance, especially in the summer time. Because of the nature of this tour, it can't accommodate anyone in a wheelchair, and if you're claustrophobic, you might not want to attempt it, either!
Hoover Dam is about 30 miles east of Las Vegas, but driving times in the summer can take up to an hour or more. On your way, you'll pass through the historic town of Boulder City, where you can stop for a quick bite to eat, or stay in one of several hotels. Boulder City was a "company town" created for the workers who built Hoover Dam in the 1930s.
These are just a few of the many things to do and see around Las Vegas, Nevada. The next time you visit "Sin City," take some time to explore the surrounding area, you'll be richer in more ways than one!