Our 3 Day Trip To Vegas:
“Off The Strip” Ideas For You!
Are you looking for some off-the-strip ideas while visiting Vegas? Check out a few of the day trips we took while staying there.
Day 1: Red Rock Canyon, Blue Diamond, Death Valley, Rhyolite
Our first day in Las Vegas started before the break of dawn so we decided to hop in the rental and watch the sunrise at Red Rock Canyon. We took the 13-mile Scenic Drive around the conservation area. Best decision ever! Coming from the mountains of East Tennessee, it seemed so surreal to be driving down the road with nothing but desert around us! With the excitement of kids at Christmas, we continued our adventure to Death Valley. We came upon the cutest town of Blue Diamond, NV where we stopped in for breakfast at Cottonwood Station. The food and coffee were delicious! I had the breakfast burrito and Brandon had the breakfast bowl. This town has a population of “more burros than people” with crime so nonexistent that the sheriff’s department is in the general store.
With refueled excitement, we kept trekking on our way to California. We made our way through the town of Pahrump along State Road 372 into Shoshone, CA. Making our way deeper into the desert as we headed toward Zabriskie Point the landscape was breathtaking! Barren beauty…
Zabriskie Point is located in Death Valley National Park. It is one of the park’s most popular lookouts. From here, you can see the badlands below that have been shaped by the powerful force of water, with the salt flats a bit farther in the distance. The Panamount Mountains make a beautiful backdrop to this endless land. If you are ever in the area it’s worth the visit.
Making our way back into Nevada we took the Beaty Cutoff to Hell’s Gate down daylight pass road into Rhyolite ghost town. Rhyolite came to be founded in 1904 in the Bullfrog Mining District. After a large boom in rich gold ore and securing a contract with the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, the town found itself falling into a rapid decline. By 1920, only 14 people called Rhyolite home. The first thing that caught our attention in this desolate place were these creepy statues. The Last Supper, Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada, and Tribute to Shorty Harris, a desert prospector, to name a few. The sun was starting to set on the day, so we didn’t travel any farther into town.
Day 2: Hoover Dam, West Rim Grand Canyon, Juan’s Flaming
Fajita’s and Cantina
Brandon and I started our day off with some blueberry muffins we bought while at Cottonwood Station. By this time, I had my explorer hat on and it was time to get this day going! The first stop was the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. This bridge is also known as the Hoover Dam bypass bridge. It’s an arch bridge that spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada. The climb up the pedestrian path is not very strenuous with landings and signs with information about the building of the bridge along the way. Once you have made it to the center of the bridge you can stand in both Arizona and Nevada at the same time! Just imagine, you have one foot in mountain time and one foot in the Pacific time while gazing upon the unforgettable site of the Hoover Dam!
Once we made it to the dam itself, we stopped for a moment to take in where we were. The Hoover Dam! Standing at 726 feet tall, 660 feet thick at the base, and 45 feet thick at the top it is a hydroelectric power plant constructed in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River during the Great Depression. There is a memorial onsite honoring the 96 workers who lost their lives in the construction of the bridge. You will also find two winged figures sitting 30 feet high with a 142 feet flag pole between them known as “Winged Figures of the Republic”. These statues and flag pole point to the positioning of the sun when FDR gave his dedication speech. Looking down you see a map of celestial bodies and stars that were visible to the naked eye on the night of the dedication speech. There is also a compass with the zodiac symbols circling it. Now we could go down quite a rabbit hole with conspiracy theories but we will save that for another day.
With daylight burning, we pressed on to the west entrance of the Grand Canyon. We rode the hop on hop off shuttle to the two different look-off locations, Skywalk & Eagle Point and Guano point. The Skywalk is a horseshoe shaped glass bridge that extends 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. I did not even entertain walking on this bridge to see the Canyon floor sitting 4000 feet below me. Just not my idea of a good time, but I’m sure the views are amazing!
Eagle Point was named by the Hualapai Tribe. Legend has it that a giant eagle flew down into the Grand Canyon to save the Hualapai tribe before a great flood, flying them on his back until the flooding stopped. Once his people were safe, the eagle turned itself to stone where it remains today. Here you can also spot a princess and her horse in the rock.
At Guano Point, you will discover the remnants of the historic tram and cable headhouse, built in 1957, that was used to mine guano for fertilizer in a bat cave discovered in 1930. I watched a few people climbing on the equipment and it just made me a nervous wreck! The highpoint hike worked my nerves as well, but I did it! It is a moderate trail that leads to panoramic views of the canyon and Colorado River.
We watched the sun go down on the Grand Canyon and caught the bus back to the terminal. It was a spectacular day that we followed up with the best Mexican food hands down. Juan’s Flaming Fajitas and Cantina were serving up fajitas they put a flame to tableside and the best margs we have ever had!
Day 3: Mon Ami Gabi, Valley of Fire, Freemont Street
For our last day in Vegas, we decided to do brunch at Mon Ami Gabi. It is the Paris Hotel and worth making the reservation! We sat on the patio watching the people walking the strip. To say it was quite entertaining is an understatement!
Next stop… Valley of Fire! This state park got its name from the red sandstone formations, formed from shifting dunes 150 million years ago. We came in through the west entrance and made stops at the beehives, Mouse’s Tank (Petroglyph Canyon), and Rainbow Vista.
A couple more hikes that you can take while at Valley of Fire State Park are the Fire Wave hike and White Domes hike. The scenic loop offers the landmarks, Atlatl Rock and Arch Rock, and the east entrance offers the Elephant Rock. We look forward to hiking these trails on a future visit to Las Vegas.
On our last evening in Vegas, we couldn’t wait to check out Freemont Street! People were ziplining on Slotzilla while the light show played on the Viva Vision canopy and performers and artists were showing off their talents. Be warned that if you’re taking the family, the kids will have some questions when you get back to the room! LOL Here you will also find the Golden Nugget, 4 Queens, and Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy sign.
