Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist locations on earth, and every years sees millions of people from all over the world arrive in order to partake in the fantastic weather, the entertainment, gambling, shows, food and hospitality. While the draw of Las Vegas is obvious for most people, there is an additional aspect that fewer people are aware of which also results in thousands of people coming to Las Vegas. That reason is that Las Vegas is perfectly positioned as the starting point for southwestern national parks tours, and many outdoor enthusiasts flock to Las Vegas each year in order to tour the large number of national parks that are located within a short drive of the city. With regards to national parks, we consider a “short drive” to be less than 8 hours, as most national parks are located in remote areas that are not developed for many miles in all directions, in compliance with the federal laws that created them. This means that for just about all parks you are going to have to arrange some form of ground transportation from a starting point, and unless you live in the general vicinity this probably means flying into a city like Las Vegas and leaving from there. Las Vegas itself became popular because it was viewed as a “stopover” in the desert where most of these parks are located, essentially being positioned about half way across the desert from one developed area to the next. This is why it stands to reason that it is a perfect starting point for most parks located in that same vicinity. Las Vegas is also viewed by many as the perfect starting point simply because the popularity of the city as a tourist destination on it’s own offers a wider range of flight and hotel options for any budget. Lastly, many people will also not mind a few extra days of their vacations being spent in the entertainment capital of the world, even if they actually came for the natural beauty of the parks. So with all that said, which are the best national parks to tour from Las Vegas?
The two most popular parks to tour using Las Vegas as a starting point are Zion Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon National Park. The reason these are the two most popular are actually for different reasons. The Grand Canyon is popular because it is located within a half day drive from Las Vegas and is probably the most iconic and scenic area on earth. Zion Canyon is popular because it is stunningly beautiful, but is also located within just over a 2 hour drive from the city. For this reason, many people who are short on time will choose to visit Zion from Las Vegas, and many others who plan on spending more than one day on their tour will plan their trip to stop at Zion first and then move on to another park like Bryce or the Grand Canyon from there, because Zion is on the way. Additional parks in the area are Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon, as well as Death Valley in the opposite direction. Plan your trip carefully, or let us do the driving for you.
This article references information found on https://www.bindlestifftours.com/package/bryce-tours-and-zion-tours-overnight/