I will be in Vegas for 8 days starting June 24. On June 29 I have a day free between my business concluding and some friends meeting me there for the weekend so I thought it%26#39;d be fun to take a day trip out into the desert somewhere... I was thinking Death Valley, but is that a bad idea in late June? Heat doesn%26#39;t bother me, and I assume my rental car will be reliable... Is there anyplace better or nearly as good to do a day trip closer to Vegas?
Death Valley or other day trip from Las Vegas on June 29?I don%26#39;t recommend Death Valley on June 29. Walking outside between casinos in that heat is acceptable for a few minutes, but driving out to DV and dealing with that awful heat is not fun. You may not be bothered by it, but your friends and car certainly will.
If you do go, make sure to bring several gallons of water.
Heat doesn%26#39;t bother you? It was 114 in Baker the other day. That really bothered me.
Death Valley or other day trip from Las Vegas on June 29?I would suggest Laughlin (90 miles south) - - see: - - http://lasvegas4newbies.com/chap5-6.html - - or the west rim of the Grand Canyon. - - http://lasvegas4newbies.com/chap5-5.html - - Death Valley National Park has a website at - - www.death.valley.national-park.com/visit.htm - - Be aware that temperatures in Death Valley commonly run above 120 degrees F in the summer!
I actually love a Death Valley Trip. It is one of the most interesting places near Vegas. NOT in the summer though. Entirely too hot and sun is absolutely brutal. Temps can be as hot as 130 and there is no shade. Put it off if possible until about October as the warmth will be welcomed.
A closer trip with cooler temps would be a trip up Mt Charleston. Temps would be 20 degrees cooler and scenery is fantastic.
Either one you choose take lots of water and enjoy.
I strongly recommend Death Valley in the summer -- specifically Badwater, the lowest point of elevation in North America. Enter at the pass at Shoshone on Rt 178 and you just keep winding down and down and down. It%26#39;s fun if your car has an exterior thermometer. Hop out of the car at Badwater and the heat is unlike anything you%26#39;ve experienced. You really get a sense of how harsh this planet can be. No reason to fear the heat -- you%26#39;re not going to walk too far from the car, that%26#39;s for sure.
DV in cooler weather is boring. Go in the summer if you want to understand why they call it Death Valley.
That said, Valley of Fire State Park (northeast of LV) is a shorter drive and offers the most beautiful desert scenery that I%26#39;ve seen within a few hours of the city, hands-down.
I strongly recommend Death Valley in the summer -- specifically Badwater, the lowest point of elevation in North America. Enter at the pass at Shoshone on Rt 178 and you just keep winding down and down and down. It%26#39;s fun if your car has an exterior thermometer. Hop out of the car at Badwater and the heat is unlike anything you%26#39;ve experienced. You really get a sense of how harsh this planet can be. No reason to fear the heat -- you%26#39;re not going to walk too far from the car, that%26#39;s for sure.
DV in cooler weather is boring. Go in the summer if you want to understand why they call it Death Valley.
That said, Valley of Fire State Park (northeast of LV) is a shorter drive and offers the most beautiful desert scenery that I%26#39;ve seen within a few hours of the city, hands-down.
We were in Death Valley in September 2005 and were sat outside our room at 11.00pm and the temprature was still in the 90%26#39;s!
I would have liked to have visit in the summer, just to experience the heat. I can%26#39;t even imagine what it would be like. According to the weather forcast, in the next couple of days Vegas is going to be 98 while in Death Valley it%26#39;s 113.
Barbie
To really see Death Valley you need to drive about a 250 mile loop (about 6-8 hours) so I would rec. Valley of Fire, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam instead.
Thats an easy four hour or so deal and you can do a ';loop'; trip of it by heading straight to the Dam firrst thing. then taking the Stae Highway that runs along the wertern shore of Lake Mead north to Valley of Fire. Drive thru the park and out the other side to I-15 back in to Vegas. Death Valley is fine in the summer, but a LONG day to get the most out of it.
Thanks for all of your quick advice! I think I may go ahead and try it... As for 6-8 hours, I have all day that day to kill by myself, and if I spend it all in Vegas I%26#39;ll end up broke for sure! : )
I%26#39;ll be in a rental, so I don%26#39;t know about a thermometer, but I%26#39;ll definitely take a portable one so I can take a picture of it while I%26#39;m there in Badwater...
I%26#39;ll be sure to bring 5 gallons or so of water and lots of snacks. Fortunately water%26#39;s cheap so whatever I don%26#39;t drink while back in Vegas I can just dump.
Oh and I liek all of your other ideas, but for some reason I%26#39;d really liek to see DV. I%26#39;m glad that whiel many think it might be miserable it seems safe enough and possible to do in a day.
I%26#39;ve already seen the Hoover Dam on previous trips. I%26#39;m looking to get farther away.
And liek Drake said, I won%26#39;t wander far from the car!
That%26#39;s the spirit -- get ready to bake!
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