VanLife Adventures: Vegas & Beyond

Las Vegas – what are the things we think of?  Slot machines, stale air, Elvis impersonators, shows, and nights of heavy drinking. It has a reputation for crazy times that no one talks about in the light of day.

Now imagine things a little different.  Las Vegas as the launching off point for a great outdoor, roadtrip adventure, a roadtrip away from the bright lights and the plastic living.  For those that want more of an adventurous Las Vegas experience, Vegas delivers in spades the great outdoors within only a few short hours from its doorstep.

Las Vegas is a perfect destination during the “off season” (but does there really have to be an of season?) of camper van traveling. Currently a round trip flight to Vegas is just under $200 which is a steal deal, but flights are typically on the cheaper end. If this is not incentive alone to travel anywhere, I don’t know what is. Vegas is typically a cheap place to get to, from no matter where.

Now picture this, you land in Las Vegas, excited and ready for adventure. With your bag in hand rather than grabbing a ride to the hotel, you meet up with a local, borrow (rent) their rig (campervan) and set out.  But better than a buddy’s van, this is someone’s baby and they have deliberately, painstakingly prepared the van for your arrival and adventure.  Everything is there ready for you.  Pots, pans – Check.  Bedding – Check.  What about olive oil, or smores roasting sticks – Check. Check!  Your adventure can begin and no matter where you end up, you can pull over, make yourself a gourmet meal, and curl up and hit the hay.  The open road, the stars, the unknown awaits.  .

There are so many places within 100 miles of Las Vegas to explore in order to satisfy the adventure bug within. No matter what your travel cup of tea is, this trip has something for everyone. Okay, so on your way out of Las Vegas, making a pit stop at the Las Vegas Neon Sign Graveyard.  While most of Vegas has moved towards LED signs, there is one street that houses over 200 vintage neon signs.

The “graveyard” of neon signs is a perfect place for all the photo opportunities, and history of past Vegas casinos. While this street tends to be full of people, it is a perfect location to chat with people who know all of the history.  The best time to visit the Neon Graveyard is during the night time tours, so that some of the signs are lit up. The ones that are not plugged in still can be seen by the spot lights shining on them.  Parking is super easy.  As you are driving up, you will see these 2 iconic images, the museum, as well as the Neon Boneyard park sign.  There, you will also see the parking structure, not to mention gigantic 30 and 40-ft tall historic casino signs poking out from beyond the walls of the museum’s sprawing ‘graveyard’, a maze of sorts with signs leaning one way or the other, harkening back to an earlier more glamorous era.

During the winter months may be ideal for day time tours due to the street not having any shade and the Vegas heat not being in full swing. Taking time off the strip is a good time to take a walk down memory lane when Vegas was not always modernized, while saving your money. After this, check out Raku.  This incredible, authentic, omakase-style Japanese restaurant is off the beaten path from where most go in Vegas, tucked away in a strip mall, but it has been churning out spectacular food for foodies and the like for years!   Before you head out on that roadtrip (or while you are cruising through the City of Sin), check this out. #worthit

Now, let’s hit the road.  Where to next? The Hoover Dam.  Considered one of the great engineering accomplishments of mid-century America, the Hoover Dam is a sight to see!  Constructed between 1931 and 1936, and measuring over 700 feet tall, it is a wonder worth seeing. With over 7 million visitors per year, it is a stop that is best enjoyed in the off-season (not the hot months), and mid-week, if you can make it.  It is easy to park the van, in one of the free lots on one side of the bridge, and walk over to the other side, stopping along the way to take in the views of the Black Canyon. After walking across the bridge, driving into the town of Boulder City to explore the historical town, where the builders of the dam lived. Black Canyon is also a great spot if you want to have any rafting adventures.  Black Canyon Adventures offers tours 2, 4, 6 hours in length.  Great way to see the sights from the water and may jump in, too!

Continue out past the Hoover Dam, going east about 2 hours will take you to the Grandest Grand Canyon!  It is a perfect location for a van-adventure. Traveling the USA in a CamperVan does not get much sweeter than hitting Vegas, the Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon.  The canyon is amazing year round, but in the winter months all the large crowds have gone home. There will still be people, but there is nothing like driving through a national park with views all around, and feeling like you have the place to yourself.  The national park offers many, many options for camping. There are camp grounds in both the South and North Rim Villages that offer full hookups, and open all year.

We like Mathers & Bright Angel on the South side, and North Rim, well, on the North Rim.  During the day there are hiking options as well as raft tours available on certain days during the off season and daily tours March through November.

Heading North-East out of Vegas into Utah, in less than 3 hours you will be in one of the most precious and beautiful spots on the planet, Zion National Park.  This could be the only stop on the trip with the van, and there would be days of things to do just here. Maybe you can find some Moqui Balls and communicate with Extra-Terrestrials, or just hunt for all the incredible waterfalls.  Then there is what you can see at night.  Sleeping amongst the towering red mountains, while enjoying the openness of the sky at night in the roof bed is like nothing else.  Here is a guide to stargazing in Zion.

Zion is a hiker and climber’s dream location, so if this what interests you, van life journeying here would be perfect. Hiking through the narrows in Zion or repelling down some of red beauties sounds like the best stop on your van adventure. 

A trip to Las Vegas does not always have to include gambling and drinking, but rather a plan it yourself van adventure. You can drive as much or as little as you want, but any stop you take there are more options than you can even think of to stop along the way. Spending time in the van, reading a book in Zion National Park, rafting through the Black Canyon, and seeing the most amazing views. This trip offers traveling in the off season when the heat is not as high, and crowds have gone home, but is still as amazing during the regular van season.