Short drive to Mini Canyon

I read somewhere there is a mini canyon not far from town that is worth a look if you dont have the time to do the real thing? My wife and 3 kids will be in town (from Perth, Aust.) for 4 days in early Jan 09 and would like to see some natural landscapes not to far from town.

Thanks in advance for your local tips.

Short drive to Mini Canyon

I%26#39;m just chuckling over ';mini canyon';, I%26#39;ve never heard it called that before...

You%26#39;re probably talking about the ';West Rim'; of the Grand Canyon - do a search on the Forum for TONS of posts about it.

Or you could be referring to Red Rock Canyon, a state park just a short (30+ monute) drive from the Strip? Also plenty of info on that here...

Short drive to Mini Canyon

Or maybe Valley of Fire may be an option for you.

Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are both easy day trips from Vegas, although they are in opposite directions. You will need to rent a car and drive there yourselves. I don%26#39;t recommend trying to do the Grand Canyon as a day trip. Most folks take helicopter tours to the West Rim. They are very costly. While the West Rim is scenic, it does not have the beauty or grandeur of GC National Park, which can only be experienced at the South Rim. Most day tours give very little time at the Canyon, in some instances as little as a half hour. That is not worth the money or effort.

If you are in a hotel on the west side of the strip, with a rear view room, you can actually see Red Rock where the houses end.

Valley of Fire State Park will blow you away and its 10000X better than the ';mini-canyon'; for a number of reasons.

1. It costs $5 per car to get into VOF and see everything. It will cost your family about $100 to get into ';mini-canyon'; and stand for a few minutes on the ridiculous plastic platform and look down.

2. Very few folks will be at VOF because its about an hours drive from Vegas. Great solitude for enjoying short hikes and seeing some fantastic scenery. Mini-canyon is nothing more than a ';tourist trap';.

NO ONE that has ventured out to see VOF has ever had anything negative to say about the experience. It will be well worth your time and the kids will love it.

I agree with Hal about VOF. I went last February and totally loved it. There are many trails that you can walk if you want to. Driving through you will think you are in a dream world. I couldn%26#39;t believe anything could look so spectacular. I am from NJ so I never see anything remotely close to the beauty of VOF.

I wouls also recommend Valley of Fire. The sandstone formations are simply stunning. You can simply drive from formation to formation but to really appreciate its beauty you should hike on some of its trails- some are short. Be sure to take lots of water and wear closed shoes. You can even pack a lunch and eat in its picnic area. You will think you are in another world. A lot of people combine VOF with a trip to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

Red Rock Canyon is closer and it does have a 13 mile loop you can drive with pull off points so you can get out of the car. It also has hiking trails. But it is not nearly as stunning as VOF.

';A lot of people combine VOF with a trip to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.';

I would HIGHLY recommend doing this as a day trip.

Get up early and drive to Hoover Dam to arrive by 9am. (It gets more crowded throughout the day so start here).

Then drive back toward Las Vegas and before you get to Boulder City turn to the right at Lake Mead Rec. Area and follow the park road north along the west shore of the lake until you get to Valley of Fire cut-off to the west.

Drive into the park and spend a couple hours and then exit out the other side of the park to get to I-15 back into Vegas.

You should get back around 6 or 7.

channel