Explore Las Vegas and its surroundings by region
Six ways to build a Las Vegas trip, from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas to Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Zion Country, the Grand Circle and Los Angeles.
Must-visit areas
The essentials every first-time visitor builds a trip around — the Strip itself in Paradise/Winchester, downtown's Fremont Street, Red Rock Canyon just west of the city, and Hoover Dam on the Nevada–Arizona border.
Antelope Canyon & Page
Antelope Canyon requires a licensed Navajo guide and advance permit. Prices, timing, distance from Las Vegas, and the daylight-saving trap.
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Grand Canyon from Las Vegas
Grand Canyon West or South Rim? Distances, drive times and 2026 fees for both, from a Las Vegas base.
Grand Canyon South Rim
The real Grand Canyon National Park, ~4.5 hours from Las Vegas. 2026 entry fees, shuttle info, and why an overnight beats a same-day trip.
Grand Canyon West
Grand Canyon West sits on Hualapai land, not in the national park. Skywalk prices, drive time from Las Vegas, and what each ticket tier really covers.
The Grand Circle: Page, Antelope Canyon & Monument Valley
Plan the Grand Circle loop from Las Vegas: Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell and Monument Valley — distances, timing traps, and a realistic…
4 guides →
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam from Las Vegas: 45-minute drive, free bypass bridge views, Powerplant Tour prices, and what a real visit actually costs in 2026.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas beyond the Strip: getting oriented, real costs, weather, and why a car matters for Hoover Dam, Red Rock and the Grand Canyon.
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The Las Vegas Strip
The Strip isn't in Las Vegas city limits, it's 4 miles long, and resort fees aren't in the room rate. Here's how it really works.
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Red Rock Canyon: The Desert Escape 30 Minutes From the Strip
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area sits 30 minutes from the Strip. 2026 fees, timed-entry rules, the scenic loop, and the best short hikes.
17 guides →
Zion National Park
Plan Zion from Las Vegas: 2026 entry fees, the mandatory shuttle season, and the Angels Landing lottery permit you cannot skip.
More to explore
Areas for a longer stay or a second trip — Valley of Fire and Death Valley near the city, the reach out to the Grand Canyon's two rims, Zion National Park and the slot canyons around Kanab, the Grand Circle's Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley, and Los Angeles further west.
Boulder City
Boulder City sits between the Strip and Hoover Dam - the one Nevada town with no casinos, and a good hour-long stop on the way to the dam.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon's hoodoos sit ~250 miles from Las Vegas, one hour ahead in Utah. Distance, 2026 fees, altitude and why to pair it with Zion.
Death Valley
Death Valley from Las Vegas: a 2-2.5 hour drive, $30 park fee, Badwater Basin — and why summer heat here is genuinely dangerous, not scenic.
Downtown & Fremont Street
Old Las Vegas explained: free LED canopy shows, paid SlotZilla zipline, distances from the Strip, and when to go.
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Flagstaff & Williams
Flagstaff and Williams sit on the road from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon South Rim, about 4 hours away, but neither is a park entrance.
Henderson & Lake Las Vegas
Henderson is Las Vegas's calmer suburb, home to the man-made Lake Las Vegas — a half-day break from the Strip, not a wilderness destination.
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Horseshoe Bend
Plan Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona: parking fees, the walk to the overlook, safety, and the best light, from Las Vegas.
4 guides →
Lake Mead
Lake Mead: the US's largest reservoir, 40 min from the Strip. Beaches, boating, entry fees, and the receding shoreline explained.
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is the vast Colorado River reservoir near Page, AZ/UT — houseboats, boating and beaches, with water levels that shift year to year.
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Monument Valley
Monument Valley is Navajo Tribal Park land, not a national park — no federal passes accepted. 2026 fees, drive time, and DST traps explained.
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Mount Charleston: Las Vegas's Cool-Air Escape
Mount Charleston sits 45-60 minutes from the Strip but feels like a different climate: pine forest, cooler air, and light snow in winter.
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Sedona
Sedona's red rock canyons and hiking trails sit roughly 4 hours from Las Vegas, best paired with a Grand Canyon South Rim or Flagstaff trip.
Springdale
Springdale sits right outside Zion's south entrance, about 2h45 from Las Vegas. Lodging, dining, and the free town shuttle explained.
Valley of Fire State Park
Nevada's oldest state park, 2026 entry fees, Fire Wave and Elephant Rock trails, and why summer midday hiking here is genuinely risky.
Off the beaten path
18b Arts District, Las Vegas
18b Arts District sits south of Fremont Street: a few blocks of galleries, studios and independent restaurants, best explored in two or three hours.
17 guides →
Kanab & the Slot Canyons
Kanab is the base for BLM slot canyons like Peek-a-Boo and Buckskin Gulch — permits, access roads, flash flood risk, and how to plan a visit.
Laughlin
Laughlin is a small riverside casino town 90 minutes south of Las Vegas on the Colorado River — a quieter, cheaper stop, not a Strip rival.
Los Angeles from Las Vegas
Las Vegas to Los Angeles by road: I-15 drive times, traffic reality, and why LA works best as a multi-day add-on, not a day trip.
Seven Magic Mountains
Seven Magic Mountains: free neon-bright rock totems off I-15, 20 min from the Strip. Hours, parking, photo tips and how long to plan.
17 guides →
St. George, Utah: The Practical Stopover Before Zion
St. George is a practical waypoint between Las Vegas and Zion National Park — cheaper hotels, a regional airport, and quiet red-rock trails nearby.
Good to know about destinations across Las Vegas and the Southwest
Las Vegas anchors this hub, and everything else on the site fans out from it across six regions covering the city itself, its nearby desert parks and the wider Southwest — Las Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert in Clark County, Nevada, with Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) about 8 km from the Strip.
8 km long and actually located in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester rather than the city of Las Vegas itself, with distances between hotels that are often deceptive on foot; downtown and Fremont Street, about 7 km from the Strip, the older heart of the city; and three desert escapes within an hour or so — Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, and Death Valley, which lies just over the state line in California and holds Badwater Basin, at -86 metres the lowest point in North America. Hoover Dam & Lake Mead covers the dam itself, about 45 minutes away and straddling the Nevada–Arizona border, and the reservoir it created. 5 hours away.
Zion Country covers Zion National Park, where a shuttle is mandatory through the canyon from March to November and the Angels Landing permit is awarded by lottery, plus the slot canyons around Kanab. Grand Circle groups Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona, visitable only with a Navajo guide, along with nearby Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon's amphitheater of hoodoos, and Monument Valley, a Navajo Tribal Park straddling the Utah–Arizona border. Los Angeles closes the loop as the long single day trip.
There's no metro or subway here — a rental car is the norm for excursions, and the paid Las Vegas Monorail only runs along the Strip's east side and doesn't reach the airport — each destination page below sets out what's actually there rather than a generic description of "the desert".
Frequently asked questions about destinations across Las Vegas and the Southwest
What are the six regions on this hub?
Las Vegas (the Strip, downtown/Fremont Street, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Death Valley); Hoover Dam & Lake Mead; Grand Canyon; Zion Country; Grand Circle; and Los Angeles.
Is Las Vegas actually in the desert?
Yes — Las Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert in Clark County, Nevada, and Death Valley, in the same hub, holds Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at -86 metres below sea level.
What's the difference between the Las Vegas Monorail and just driving the Strip?
The monorail is a paid, fixed-fare ride that runs only along the Strip's east side and skips the airport entirely; a rental car reaches everywhere else in the hub, from Red Rock Canyon to the Grand Canyon, which the monorail was never built for.
Do I need a car to reach Red Rock Canyon?
Yes — there's no public transit to the scenic drive, and from October to May a timed entry reservation is required for the loop as well.
Why might the Angels Landing permit be hard to get?
Permits for Angels Landing in Zion National Park are awarded by lottery rather than sold on demand, and demand far outstrips the daily quota, especially in spring and fall.
Grand Canyon West and South Rim Tours
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GetYourGuide does not provide a product photo for this activity — the image shows the meeting point, photographed by us.
