Outdoor Activities

Red Rock Canyon

The Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center is a focal point for visitor orientation.  The 7,600 square foot facility offers information and interpretation about recreation opportunities, wildlife, wild horses and burros, vegetation, geology, cultural resources and much more.

The Exhibit Area features displays funded and created by RRCIA.  Interpreters have created displays depicting the cultural and natural resources of the Conservation Area.  

Check out "The Trail Source" for great programs and hikes. Or do some of the hikes on your own!

http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/ 

Bonnie Springs Old Nevada

The Wild West is still as wild as ever in Old Nevada, a replica of an 1880's mining town built on the 115-acre Bonnie Springs Ranch.
Las Vegas is the epitome of the fast-paced, ultra-modern city - swank, glittering, and exciting; but just a short, 25 mile drive away, you can visit the past again. Bonnie Springs Old Nevada is John Wayne country. Boarded sidewalks that creak pleasantly under your feet, saloons, tumbleweeds, stagecoaches, and even a Boot Hill Cemetery.
Bonnie Springs Old Nevada is a great place for the entire family and there are lots of attractions for the kids, including a petting zoo, cowboys and cowgirls, and on weekends and holidays, a miniature train ride, and a "posse" show where the kids can even help track down the 'bad guy". This little old mining town offers plenty of rousing, rough-and-tumble action, simulated gunfights in the streets, an 1830's melodrama complete with mustachioed villain in our authentically recreated Saloon, and even a public hanging, with an obliging Stuntman swaying in the wind. All shows are kids friendly and we encourage audience participation.
In addition to our gunfights and cowboys, there's a wax museum with figures from our frontier history, we serve great homemade meals in our restaurant, a beautiful and romantic 1800's style wedding chapel, along with convention facilities, and plenty of shopping for those looking for turquoise and silver and other western souvenirs. Bonnie Springs Old Nevada is an adventurous outing for the whole family.
http://www.bonniesprings.com/ 

Valley of Fire

Valley of Fire State Park is located only six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and on exit 75. Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, dedicated 1935. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyph. Popular activities include camping, hiking, picnicking and photography. The park offers a full-scale visitor center with extensive interpretive displays. Several group use areas are also available. The park is open all year. 
The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape. Other important rock formations include limestones, shales, and conglomerates. Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Basket Maker people and later the Anasazi Pueblo farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. The span of approximate occupation has been dated from 300 B.C. to 1150 A.D. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited the length of their stay. Fine examples of rock art left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.
http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm 

Mt. Charleston

 The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) is part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Better known to locals as Mount Charleston, it is located just 30 minutes from downtown Las Vegas and encompasses more than 316,000 acres of remarkable beauty and surprising diversity.
Enjoy snow-capped mountain peaks that are surrounded by desert and are home to over 50 sensitive plants and animals, some of which are found only in this special area and nowhere else in the world. The panoramic mountain range provides a quick getaway and a haven for solitude.
General Information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/districts/smnra/index.shtml
Hiking Trails:  http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/Mt_Char/_Mt_C_Over/_Mt_C_Over.htm
Ski Resort: http://www.skilasvegas.com/winter/index.html 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Lake Mead NRA offers year-round recreational opportunities. Its lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, and fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers. It is also home to thousands of desert plants and animals, adapted to survive in an extreme place where rain is scarce and temperatures soar.
Children may earn a Junior Ranger badge and certificate by completing a number of activities in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Junior Ranger Guide and Activity Book. The Junior Ranger Guide and Activity Book is available for free at the Lake Mead Visitor Center and at the Katherine Landing Ranger Station. It is recommended that children 10 and older complete the entire book. Younger children must complete at least three activities. The Activity Guide will print in 11" by 17" format, please shrink down to size if necessary. Junior Ranger Guide and Activity Book
http://www.nps.gov/lame/index.htm 

Cowboy Trail Rides

Cowboy Trail Rides is located only a few minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, in the heart of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. With miles of riding trails in a magnificent desert setting, a herd of beautiful, well-trained horses, and a staff of proffessional wrangler-guids, our Red Rock Ranch beckons to our guests who want to leave the city and the 21st Century behind. If you are interested in a horseback adventure and a taste of real Western hospitality, we invite you to look through these pages at our exciting daily rides. Experienced rider or novice, we have a ride--and an adventure--that is right for you.

http://www.cowboytrailrides.com/