Las Vegas is a perfect starting point for the touring of many national parks and protected spaces in the southwestern United States. 7 national parks can be reached within a comfortable one-day drive from the hotels in the city, being located in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, California, and Nevada. Each of the parks that can be reached from the Las Vegas starting point are going to involve stretches of hundreds of miles where you are driving through desolate desert, and you may not see another human being or service station for many of these miles. Many people from more populated areas will underestimate the desolation of these highway drives in the area, as they have never experienced driving in remote areas. In these desert areas there is many times no cell service, no accessibility to food, water or shelter, and ultimately provide a certain amount of danger if your car was to break down or you would run out of gas. The temperatures in the summertime can easily go over 110 degrees, and there is little to no shade. You are very much on your own in the desert, so come prepared. Pack plenty of water and anything else you might need to survive if anything was to go wrong.
The 7 national parks that are the most popular to drive to from a Las Vegas starting point are the following”
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Yosemite National Park: California, 7 Hours
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Zion National Park: Utah, 3 Hours
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Arches National Park: Utah, 8 Hours
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Bryce Canyon National Park: Utah, 3 Hours
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Monument Valley And Four Corners: Southwest US, 8 Hours
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Mesa Verde National Park: Colorado, 8 Hours
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Grand Canyon: Arizona, 4.5 Hours
It is important to understand that it is better to plan your potential driving trips through the desert in the number of hours you will be driving, and not necessarily in miles. This is because of the sheer boredom factor of driving through the desert, where all the scenery looks the same and there are generally no landmarks to break up the monotony. When doing desert driving trips you will want to get plenty of rest the night before simply so that you do not doze off while driving through areas that offer little to keep you engaged. There is a good chance that you will not even see a lot of cars on the road during your trip, so when you consider undertaking these kinds of tours yourself you must ask if you have the stamina to drive an unfamiliar vehicle for upwards of four to eight hours nonstop without much in between. You also must question if you have the ability to act in an emergency situation, as there is not much to rely on during many of these long drives as far as services. A breakdown could easily result in you having to walk many miles through the desert, so plan accordingly.
If you would like to simply leave the driving to us, arrange any of our tours of these great national parks. We take care of it all for you, so that you can rest during the trip and be ready to explore when we get there.