weekender.
Weekend trips from UNLV
Hidden spots near Las Vegas, day trips and weekend road trips from UNLV in November, scored 1–10 on price, timing and what's happening, with gas, park fees, a campsite or room and food included.
Plan your own trip from UNLV →Local finds near campus
Red Rock Canyon
Red and cream sandstone cliffs 25 minutes from the Strip (timed entry most of the year).
Seven Magic Mountains
Seven towers of fluorescent-painted boulders in the desert south of Las Vegas. Free.
Lake Mead
Desert coves for swimming and paddleboards 40 minutes from the Strip.
Hoover Dam
Walk across the dam (and from Nevada into Arizona), then out on the bridge high above it.
Day trips
Valley of Fire
Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.
Rhyolite & Goldwell
A gold-rush ghost town with a house made of bottles and ghostly plaster sculptures. Free.
Weekend trips
Valley of Fire
Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.
Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes
Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Trona Pinnacles
500 tufa spires rising from a dry lakebed, used in Star Trek V and Planet of the Apes. Free camping.
Lake Havasu
The original London Bridge, rebuilt in the desert, and warm-water coves for boats and paddleboards.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Long weekends
Trona Pinnacles
500 tufa spires rising from a dry lakebed, used in Star Trek V and Planet of the Apes. Free camping.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Lake Havasu
The original London Bridge, rebuilt in the desert, and warm-water coves for boats and paddleboards.
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Zion
Wade up the Narrows slot canyon and hike Angels Landing (permit lottery).
Personalize it
Set your budget, how many friends are coming, your car (or no car: train and bus), and what you're into (hiking, beaches, camping, stargazing, food and more), and Weekender re-ranks every trip for you, with a day-by-day plan, directions and campsites.
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