Las Vegas: the outdoor version

Yes, Las Vegas. Step one mile off the Strip's axis and you're in some of the most dramatic desert in North America: rust red sandstone canyons, petroglyph valleys, and Mojave big sky. We treat Vegas the way road trippers always have: as the world's most improbable basecamp, where the morning hike is world class and the evening entertainment is, well, Las Vegas.

Red Rock Canyon: the reason to come

Twenty minutes west of the Strip, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area throws up a 3,000 foot wall of banded sandstone that makes the casinos look temporary. The 13 mile scenic drive (one way loop) strings together the highlights; the essential stops are Calico Hills (scramble into the red rock as far as your nerve allows) and the Calico Tanks Trail (2.2 miles to a hidden water pocket and a summit view back across the whole valley, Strip included: the definitive Vegas photo nobody expects). Book the timed entry online in advance Oct-May; mornings beat both heat and crowds.

Valley of Fire: the masterpiece an hour out

Nevada's oldest state park is, mile for mile, one of the most spectacular places in the Southwest: wind carved waves of crimson sandstone, 2,000 year old petroglyphs, and formations with names that undersell them. The must dos: Fire Wave (1.5 miles to a striped rock swirl that looks airbrushed), White Domes loop (slot canyon included), and the drive along Mouse's Tank Road, arguably the best short scenic road anywhere in the desert. An easy half or full day from the city; go at sunrise or late afternoon when the rock ignites.

The Strip, done as a hike

Treat the Strip itself as what it honestly is: a 4 mile urban trail with the strangest scenery in America. Walk it end to end at night, Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere, past the Bellagio fountains (free show every 15-30 minutes), the Venetian's canals, and a billion LEDs. It's people watching as sport, costs nothing, and logs ten thousand steps before you notice. Duck into the Bellagio lobby en route for the glass flower ceiling, two thousand hand blown blossoms overhead, free to gawk at.

Downtown, the Fremont Street Experience is the older, louder, stranger cousin: a five block LED canopy running light shows overhead while the vintage casinos glow below. Twenty minutes from the Strip and worth the detour for the contrast alone. Do the outdoor parks in the morning, the neon canyon after dark; that's the complete Vegas day.

The pairing play: Death Valley and beyond

Vegas is the natural gateway for a desert loop: Death Valley is two hours northwest (our full guide covers the winter season strategy), Valley of Fire anchors the northeast, and the Mojave stretches toward Joshua Tree to the southwest. Three parks, one improbable basecamp with cheap flights and infinite restaurants. It's the most efficient desert trip in the West, and December through March it's perfect.

Plan your day

Tell the planner where you're starting from and when, and it builds a timed itinerary from this guide's stops.