Nevada is a travel destination that genuinely surprised us. Why? Because the neon lights, casinos and chaos in Las Vegas are just the beginning. There’s also Lake Tahoe, miles of open desert, unique red rock formations and a ton going on along the borders with California and Arizona.
We’ve been to Vegas three times, and we’ve done pretty much everything there is to do nearby. Plus, we’ve driven along the Nevada-California border from Lake Tahoe to Las Vegas, and that’s a route filled with amazing natural attractions.
In this Nevada travel guide we show you the most popular vacation spots, along with an example road trip itinerary and when to visit.
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Las Vegas
There’s only one place we can start when it comes to travel in Nevada – the world famous Las Vegas. Some people hate it and others love it. We’re in the lovers crew. It’s wild, tacky, over the top, expensive and overcrowded. But it’s so much fun!
Across our trips to Sin City we’ve walked the Strip a hundred times, gone in every single themed hotel, watched some fantastic shows, taken a superb food tour, eaten in elaborate restaurants and bought cocktails that almost bankrupt us.
Our favorite hotels are the Venetian, Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Cosmopolitan because they’re swanky and they’re in the heart of the action. Even just walking around them is a totally unique experience, let alone spending a night!
Would we go back to Vegas again? Yes, in a heartbeat. But our limit is 3 days, then it’s time to get back to reality, hit the gym and shudder over the state of our bank account!
Near Vegas
The Las Vegas Strip is like a bubble. You could easily fly into Vegas, spend a full week on the Strip and then leave without seeing or doing anything else. But that would be a mistake because there’s so much to do near the city.
Here’s what we recommend:
- Visit Zion National Park
- Day trip to Death Valley
- Hike in Red Rock Canyon
- Take photos in Valley of Fire
- Drive down to the Hoover Dam
- Visit the Seven Magic Mountains
There are more great day trip options near Las Vegas, but we’d start with those above. We love Valley of Fire, there’s an easy hike you must do at sunrise if you like photography called the Fire Wave. And we really like Red Rock Canyon for a few quick hikes to blow off the Vegas cobwebs!
Lake Tahoe
Okay, let’s move away from Las Vegas. What else is there to do in the Silver State? Well, around one-third of Lake Tahoe is in Nevada. And Lake Tahoe is one of those truly magical places you visit and can’t wait to go back again. At least it was for us anyway!
We spent the best part of a week exploring all sides and corners of the lake, taking sunrise and sunset photos, hiking a bunch of amazing trails and just having a great time. We visited Lake Tahoe in November, so next time we’ll go back in June or September when it’s a bit warmer.
South Lake Tahoe was lively and fun, whereas North Lake Tahoe was quiet and relaxing. We split our trip up last time so we could enjoy both sides, and we’d do the same next time. Oh, and the one place you can’t miss is Emerald Bay State Park. It’s beautiful.
Reno
Reno, the “biggest little city in the world” is like a smaller, cheaper and less chaotic version of Las Vegas. It has a ton of casinos, some good museums, a nice riverside walking district and a handful of breweries with a cool vibe.
We spent a night in Reno on the way to Lake Tahoe, and while we wouldn’t go back in a hurry because certain parts of town were pretty sketchy, we’re glad we stopped in to see it. If they did something about the rough areas, we think Reno would be a more popular place to visit.
And we’re not gamblers so the whole point of visiting a place like Reno was lost on us. But we did enjoy visiting the National Automobile Museum, a speakeasy, a few breweries, a large park and a sunset photography location overlooking the city.
Great Basin
A tiny portion of Death Valley National Park lies inside Nevada, but it’s almost all in California so it doesn’t really count. Great Basin on the other hand is a national park that’s entirely inside the state of Nevada.
We haven’t been to Great Basin yet (mostly because it’s so isolated and far from anywhere else we want to go) but it does look pretty awesome. The first thing we’d do is hike to the summit of Wheeler Peak, which has amazing views.
It also has huge underground caverns called Lehman Caves that can be toured, similar to Wind Cave in South Dakota, that we’d definitely do too. If you like desolate landscapes with barely any crowds, Great Basin could be a great vacation spot for you.
10 Fun Facts About Nevada
- Nevada has more mountain ranges than any other state.
- There are more hot springs in Nevada than anywhere else in the US.
- Nevada is the driest state in America.
- It was named after the mountain range Sierra Nevada.
- Las Vegas has the world’s highest amount of hotel rooms.
- Area 51 and the Extraterrestrial Highway are in Nevada.
- Nevada is home to almost half of America’s wild horses.
- Around 75% of gold mined in the US comes from Nevada.
- From space Las Vegas is the brightest place on the planet.
- Nevada is the 7th largest US state by area.
Road Trip Itinerary
It’s very unlikely that we’d ever plan a road trip exclusively ticking off Nevada’s top highlights without crossing into neighboring states. Why? Because there’s too many awesome places to visit near Las Vegas in Utah, California and Arizona.
Plus, the driving distance through vast arid desert to reach Great Basin from Vegas or Lake Tahoe is enormous. So instead we’ll show you how we’d plan our first trip to Nevada, driving from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe (with stops on the other side of the Nevada-California border):
Las Vegas – Days 1 to 5
- Walk up and down the Strip
- Go inside all the hotels
- Visit Downtown and go to the Mob Museum
- Go to Valley of Fire
- See the Hoover Dam
- Hike in Red Rock Canyon
Death Valley – Days 6 to 7
- Take sunrise and sunset photos
- Walk on Mesquite Flat sand dunes
- Hike Golden Canyon Loop
- Drive Titus Canyon (4WD)
- Visit Rhyolite ghost town at night
Lone Pine – Day 8
- See Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills
- Consider hiking Mt Whitney (permit)
Drive to Lake Tahoe – Day 9
- Stop at tons of hot springs
- And stop at Mono Lake
- Optionally add in a side trip to Yosemite
Lake Tahoe – Days 10 to 12
- Hike lots of great trails
- Take sunrise and sunset photos
- Relax on beaches and swim in the lake
We actually did this route in reverse when we drove from Seattle to Sedona in November 2021. It was fantastic because there were very few people around, even in Vegas, and then we continued into Utah and Arizona.
When To Visit
Nevada’s two popular tourist destinations Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe can be visited year round, but they have different peak seasons.
Las Vegas is busiest and most expensive in April, May, September and October. The winter months are slightly less busy, whereas the summer months are the quietest and cheapest of the year because it’s so hot.
During our trips in September and October, Vegas was lively, hot and busy. Then we went back to Las Vegas in November and it was much quieter, but the pools were all closed and it had a more chilled vibe than we’d experienced before.
Lake Tahoe is the polar opposite. June, July and August are the busiest months because it’s more of a weekend break type place to swim in the lake. The other busy period is winter when the area’s many ski resorts burst into life. So it’s quieter in months like May and November.
Keep Exploring
Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more states? Once you’re finished reading our travel guides for Nevada, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:
We hope our Nevada travel guide helps with planning your vacation to the American southwest!
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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