THE VEGAS INSIDER’S

I T I N E R A RY GUIDE

I T I N E R A RY RAFTING THE COLORADO Black Canyon River Raft Tour Rapids-free, three-hour trip aboard large pontoon boats begins at the base of Hoover Dam and travels down the Colorado River to Willow Beach. Box lunches are included, and ground transpor tation is provided to and from the river. (U.S. 93/95 South to Boulder City.) Before or after the excursion, rafters can walk across the street from Black Canyon Raft Tours to Bruno’s Turquoise Museum, which sells Native American art and fine jewelry. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 50 round-trip

Time: Six hours.

CRUISING FOR A DAM TOUR Lake Mead Cruises Cruise to Hoover Dam aboard the Desert Princess paddle wheel. Midday narrated cruises are available daily. There is a snack bar on board, or lunch may be prearranged for groups. (Take U.S. 93/95 South to Boulder City; turn left at the second stoplight on Buchanan Boulevard.) St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is about one mile from the intersection and has a gift shop that’s known for its creative greeting cards. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive at the Alan Bible Visitor Center, which itself is wor th a stop for those wanting to understand the area’s ecology and biology. The Desert Princess’ dock at Lake Mead Cruises Landing is three-and-one-half miles nor th of the visitor center. Visitors may board at the landing, cruise across the lower basin of Lake Mead and return to the landing. To tour Hoover Dam, backtrack three-and-one-half miles to U.S. 93. Turn left and continue south four miles to the Hoover Dam parking garage. At Hoover Dam, your clients can see the dam’s art deco features; explore the visitor center, which has numerous exhibits and a film relating to the dam’s construction; and take a tour inside the 726-foot-tall structure. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 70 round-trip

Time: Five hours for cruise and tour

Early Dinner Option Travel directly to Hoover Dam in time for a late afternoon tour of the dam. After exploring the dam, your clients will be ready for a dinner cruise aboard the Deser t Princess. (Backtrack on U.S. 93 to the Alan Bible Visitor Center, turn right on Lakeshore Road. It is three-andone-half miles to the landing.)

TOURS OF THE ADVENTUROUS KIND Skydivers, and those wishing to try the sport, can make tandem jumps with an instructor at Skydive Las Vegas. The seven-minute parachute ride offers a breathtaking view of Las Vegas and surrounding area. (U.S. 95/93 South to Boulder City. Turn right on Buchanan Boulevard, and right on Georgia Avenue to the Boulder City Airport.) Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 50 round-trip

Time: Depends upon the number of jumpers, but estimate two hours per person

EXPLORING BOULDER CITY Boulder Dam Hotel The natural beginning for a city tour of the “Best Town by a Dam Site,” is the Boulder Dam Hotel. Royalty and celebrities stayed in the hotel during and after the dam’s construction. A recent room renovation allows guests to recapture a taste of history. Today, the hotel also houses the excellent Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum, which features ar tifacts from the 1930s and a film showing construction footage of Hoover Dam. Visitors will also find the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, retail shops, Tiffany’s restaurant, and the Boulder City Ar t Guild. Maps for the city walking tours are available from the chamber of commerce. City Walking Tour Five separate, self-guided tours of Boulder City of one- to two-hour duration. Each tour explores a facet of the town’s history and quaint setting. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 50 round-trip

Time: Two to three hours, depending upon the number of walking tours

THEME PARKS AND THRILL RIDES Tours can incorporate The Adventuredome thrill attractions such as the roller coaster under the pink dome at Circus Circus; New YorkNew York’s outdoor roller coaster ; the Big Shot, Strat-O-Fair midway, and Sky Jump Las Vegas thrill rides at the Stratosphere. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 3

Time: Let your stomach be your guide.

NIGHT TOUR The brilliant colors and shapes of Las Vegas’ famous neon is experienced during a tour down the Las Vegas Strip to downtown’s Fremont Street Experience. The Strip is the only city street in America that has been designated an all-American road. The trip can begin at the Mandalay Bay and end at the Fremont Street Experience in time to enjoy the light and sound show that is projected 90 feet above the famous Glitter Gulch casino area. Dinner at one of Las Vegas’ fine restaurants, such as Hugo’s Cellar at the Four Queens or McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood just east of the Las Vegas Strip, will cap a memorable evening. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 8 round-trip

Time: One hour without dinner or show

NATURE, HISTORY AND LAKE MEAD Tunnel Trail Hike A stop at the nearby Alan Bible Visitor Center offers an excellent overview of the area’s history and geology. There is a parking lot off Lakeshore Road near the intersection of U.S. 93 for the trail hike, which goes through tunnels and along the historic railway. Lake Mead Resort Marina, located on Lakeshore Road three miles north of the Tunnel Trail parking lot, is an excellent rest stop and offers a chance to feed the voracious fish that mooch from visitors. Restaurant, snack bar and restrooms are available. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 53 round-trip

Time: Three hours

GLITTER AND GHOST TOWNS Located 34 miles south of Las Vegas on Interstate 15, the Gold Strike Casino in Jean is an excellent breakfast stop before heading to the historic mining town of Goodsprings. Specifically, the town’s rustic Pioneer Saloon. The saloon is a mini-museum detailing Goodsprings’ boom and bust days. The pressed-tin walls have bullet holes and the floors are rough, wooden planks. The saloon is famous as the site where actor Clark Gable waited for word about his wife, Carole Lombard, whose plane crashed in the nearby mountains in 1942. For those interested in the rigors of life in the Nevada desert, the town’s cemetery has its own story on the headstones. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 34 round-trip

Time: Three hours

CULTURAL CORRIDOR One mile nor th of the downtown casino core are two museums and a state park within walking distance of each other. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has animated dinosaurs, an exhibit dedicated to Nevada’s wildlife, live sharks, and displays of animals from around the world. On the same side of the street, the Neon Museum features a collection of iconic Las Vegas neon signs as part of a 45-minute guided tour. Behind the Natural History Museum, a remnant of Las Vegas’ first settlement, the Old Las Vegas Mormon For t, is now a state park with exhibits on the role the fort played in the city’s history. (Timed right, this tour can incorporate a Triple-A Las Vegas 51s baseball game at adjacent Cashman Field.) Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 1 round-trip

Time: Three hours

MOUNT CHARLESTON Towering nearly 10,000 feet above the Las Vegas valley floor, Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountain range offer a cool respite from summer’s heat and a winter playground with ski and snowboarding slopes. There are dramatic scenery changes once the coach leaves Las Vegas via U.S. 95 nor th. After the tour reaches Kyle Canyon Road (State Route 157), your clients pass through several ecosystems: the creosote bush and Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert, the sagebrush and pinion pines of the high deser t and, finally, the evergreens and aspens at the 8,000-foot alpine forest level. The upper forest area of the mountain range is home of the pygmy blue butterfly, the smallest butterfly in the world. At the top of Kyle Canyon Road, the larger Resor t on Mount Charleston and the Swiss-style Mount Charleston Hotel offer options for dining, souvenir shopping and restrooms. For the return drive, take the scenic byway (State Route 158) that connects Kyle Canyon with Lee Canyon, offering amazing vistas across mountain valleys and a scenic overlook of the valley floor below. The scenic byway ends at Kyle Canyon Road (State Route 156), where you can turn right to return to Las Vegas, or left to head up and view the intimate Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. On the return to Las Vegas, a box lunch under shade can be enjoyed at Floyd Lamb State Park, or relish in the buffets at nearby Santa Fe Station, Fiesta and Texas Station casinos on Rancho Road (an alternate to U.S. 95). Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 100 round-trip

Time: Four hours, not including lunch

This is an excellent tour for a step-on guide.

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA A tour of Red Rock Canyon can be enhanced by starting at the Nevada State Museum, located at Springs Preserve, five miles west of downtown Las Vegas. The museum has excellent displays on Nevada’s history and prehistory. Red Rock Canyon is one of the most studied and visited spots in Nevada and easily reached by traveling west on Charleston Boulevard to the visitor center. Known for its geological quirks and brilliant colors, Red Rock Canyon is a photographer’s delight. A stop at the visitor center helps explain why geologists flock to Red Rock Canyon to study the younger formations that are buried below much older rock. A 13-mile, one-way scenic loop that begins near the visitor center offers a close-up view of the sandstone cliffs that are popular with rock climbers. Red Rock Canyon is also home to wild mustangs and burros, which are best viewed at a distance. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 30 round-trip

Time: Four hours

RED ROCK/BLUE DIAMOND LOOP After touring Red Rock Canyon, continue on State Route 159 to historic Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Allow time to explore the picturesque ranch, whose past owners include Vera Krupp and Howard Hughes. The loop will take the coach past Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada, a re-created Old West town; the Oliver Ranch, which is home to the Bureau of Land Management’s Adopt-A-Horse program; and the tiny town of Blue Diamond. State Route 159 ends at Interstate 15 and the Silverton casino. Silver ton is a logical lunch stop, par ticularly if your tour includes a shopping stop at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets South. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 86 round-trip

Time: Five hours; does not include lunch or shopping

This is an excellent tour for a step-on guide.

VALLEY OF FIRE/LAKE MEAD LOOP The 36,800-acre Valley of Fire State Park is famous for its brilliantly colored sandstone formations that date back 150 million years. The park’s west entrance, via Interstate 15 and State Route 169, opens suddenly onto an impressive area of flaming-red sandstone. In spring, the desert wildflowers add even more color to the area’s palette. The visitor center is a fascinating stop for visitors interested in the park’s history and geology. There is information on other stops such as Mouse’s Tank, which is a 45-minute walk in sandy conditions (moderate difficulty) to see the Indian rock art that is so prevalent in Valley of Fire. Leaving the park, there are two options: Return to Las Vegas via State Route 147, which travels south along Lake Mead, or continue nor th on State Route 169 to the Lost City Museum in Overton. On the Lake Mead route, Calville Bay is a natural rest stop after exiting Valley of Fire. As the coach nears Las Vegas, it will drive through a cut in the mountains that affords the first view of the city. On the left, look for a sightseeing marker dedicated to the Great Unconformity, another of Mother Nature’s geological mysteries. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 107 round-trip

Time: Four hours, not counting lunch

VALLEY OF FIRE/LOST CITY MUSEUM LOOP After leaving Valley of Fire State Park, instead of turning south, continue nor th on State Route 169 to Over ton. There, the Lost City Museum houses ar tifacts from the Lost City, a series of ancient Pueblo villages in the Moapa Valley. The museum has one of the best collections of ar tifacts of the early Pueblo Indians, who disappeared from the area under mysterious circumstances. Adobe dwellings have been reconstructed on the museum grounds. State Route 169 intersects with Interstate 15 and the return to Las Vegas. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 153 round-trip

Time: Five hours

LAUGHLIN Located on the Colorado River, the bustling gaming town of Laughlin is a successful destination on its own and an excellent day trip out of Las Vegas. Known for its water recreation, Laughlin rates high for its accessible casinos and enter tainment. Sightseers board the tour boats that ply the river. The Riverside’s car collection includes autos belonging to John Wayne and Mussolini. There are several outlets that rent jet skis. The historic town of Searchlight offers a rest stop and a chance to explore the town’s museum. (U.S. 93/95 South. Continue on U.S. 95 to State Route 163.) Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 196 round-trip

Time: Five hours, round-trip travel

MESQUITE Established as a farming community in 1894, Mesquite today is booming as a resort destination with numerous tour options. The small town’s amenities would serve well as an overnight stay or as a pass-through to Zion National Park. Mesquite has three hotel-casinos and seven golf courses. Other than golf, options include Lost City Museum and Mesquite Fine Ar ts or visit the CasaBlanca’s spa to be pampered and spoiled. (Interstate 15 North) Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 162 round-trip

Time: Three hours for travel time

PRIMM’S TRIO Three hotel-casinos – Buffalo Bill’s, Whiskey Pete’s and Primm Valley Resor t –¬ are clustered on Interstate 15 at the Nevada-California border 43 miles south of Las Vegas and offer a combination of thrills and amusements. Buffalo Bill’s has the 209-foot-high Desperado roller coaster that travels 85 mph into a tunnel before shooting around a twisting track. A log flume water ride, motion simulator rides and a huge “hanging tree” with animated figures round out the attractions. Bonnie and Clyde’s bullet-ridden car and the restored Dutch SchultzAl Capone gangster car also are on exhibit. Each hotel has several restaurants for travelers. For shoppers, the Fashion Outlet of Las Vegas offers 100 stores. Mileage from Las Vegas Strip: 94 round-trip

Time: Four hours without shopping option