When you are planning on coming to Las Vegas for a vacation, you may want to consider taking a few days out of that trip in order to visit one of the many national parks that are located in the vicinity of the city. Naturally, by “vicinity” we are not talking about walking distance! There are numerous national parks and protected spaces that are incredible to tour which are located within a day’s drive time from the strip, and if you are adventurous and would like to experience a different aspect of the desert while you are in Sin City, then plan on taking a drive outside it and through the desert. We would actually not suggest this for people who are unfamiliar with driving through the desert, or who are not experienced with long distance drives due to the fact that driving in the southwest is not the same as driving on the east coast. It is best to think of distances in terms of hours that it will take to get there, because driving in a desert does not give you the constant visual stimulation that driving through populated areas does. In the desert you can literally drive for a hundred miles without seeing another car, or any kind of building at all. Yes, that means that there are stretches of road that are not going to have a single gas station for more than 100 miles, so you really do have to prepare for this type of trip. In many cases, your cell phone is not going to have a signal out there, and your navigation system may also not work properly as many of the roads may not be the same as the last time they were mapped. You will need to carry lots of water and food with you in case something was to happen, and always be prepared to have to walk some distance through the desert in the case of en emergency. We are not trying to scare you, but it is a very serious thing to drive through desolate stretches of road that you are unfamiliar with. We always suggest leaving the driving and details of a southwestern national parks tour to us!
With that said, there are eight national parks that are within a day’s drive of Las Vegas, each of which can be reached easily from Las Vegas, and many are able to be driven to and from as well as being visited for a short time in a single day.
National Parks That Are Driving Distance From Las Vegas:
Grand Canyon: Arizona, 4.5 Hours
Mesa Verde National Park: Colorado, 8 Hours
Monument Valley And Four Corners: Southwest US, 8 Hours
Bryce Canyon National Park: Utah, 3 Hours
Arches National Park: Utah, 8 Hours
Zion National Park: Utah, 3 Hours
Yosemite National Park: California, 7 Hours
Death Valley: California, 2.5 Hours
We would suggest for those who want to visit a spectacular national park but who only have a day to do so that you visit Zion Canyon. Zion is located only a few hours drive and can be done as a day trip that is very satisfying and still does not take more than one day.