Las Vegas! The sun, the desert, and the strip. What more could you ask for? In Nevada, Las Vegas is one of the most well-known and most-traveled places in the entire state. But there’s more to Las Vegas than just casinos, bars and gambling. In fact, Las Vegas can be a great place for a family vacation.
While there are plenty of things to see inside of Las Vegas, there are equally as many things to see around the city. A day trip outside of Las Vegas will leads to so many amazing experiences. The day trips around Las Vegas give travelers a chance to see something much more natural and stunning than the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip.
Here are the best day trips from Las Vegas:
Zion National Park
Just a two-and-a-half-hour drive outside of Las Vegas lies the Zion National Park. It’s located in Springdale, Utah.
Zion National Park has stunning views that are a once in a lifetime experience.
Because of the slightly long drive from Las Vegas, it’s probably best to leave during the early part of the day.
Zion National Park is known for the beautiful red and pink rock formations, spotted with the conifer forests below in the valley.
Death Valley
If you’re not up for a 2 to 3-hour drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley National Park, booking a 40-minute plane ride might even be cheaper and quicker.
However, a scenic route drive along 160 might just make the drive worth it.
Death Valley National Park is both North America’s driest and lowest places, along with a place for outdoors activities.
Guided tours are available every day.
Kids will even love the paleontology tour to learn all about the dinosaurs that roamed this area millions of years before.
Make sure you make your plans for Death Valley around a cooler time of the year, because summer time can get hot.
Lake Mead 
From the strip, Lake Mead is about 30 to 45 minutes away.
Lake Mead is the 16th biggest man-made lake in the entire world.
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area has a plethora of recreational activities for outdoorsy people and families who like to have a lot of fun in the sun.
Families will be able to have fun on the lake with swimming, boating or even jet skiing.
Not only that, but there are places for hiking and lounging in the shade.
Lake Mead makes for a great place to day trip, because there are even restaurants, showers and amenities for when you’re done swimming.
Valley of Fire State Park
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Valley of the Fire State Park is Nevada’s oldest state park, and makes a great add-on to a Lake Mead, because it’s only six miles away.
From Las Vegas, Valley of the Fire State Park is just an hour drive.
For stunning views of the natural landscape, this is one of the best places to go.
Hikers and nature lovers will love the rock formations and trails.
Hoover Dam
Every day, the Hoover Dam gets 3,000 visitors, and for good reason.
This 726-foot-tall, curved wall is one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels.
It’s an educational experience for visitors, along with one that will give them a view over the dam of Lake Mead, the Colorado River and the Black Canyon.
There’s a short video that can be viewed about the dam’s history, and the powerplant can even be toured for a small price.
Only 35 miles away from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam makes for a day trip that travelers won’t soon forget. This is a great day trip to take the whole family to, because there are bound to be roadside attractions catered to all of the conspiracy theory lovers and alien believers in your family.