Las Vegas is a bustling city where life is in full swing 24 hours a day. Despite this, it’s a suitable place for a family road trip. Thus, it would be a nice idea to pick up a Las Vegas Jeep rental and have an incredible vacation in the heart of Nevada.
In Las Vegas, it’s easy to find family-friendly things to do, especially if you enjoy being active. Toddlers and schoolchildren will like the Wet’n’Wild water park and the local aquarium. At the same time, hikers rent a car and go to Red Rock Canyon to admire the colorful rocks, watch birds and take beautiful photos.
Travelers with good physical fitness can climb Mount Charleston, go mountain biking, and fly paragliding. In general, in Las Vegas, you have a huge number of spots for a great vacation. A rental car is the best way to get to each of them at your own pace.
Mount Charleston
Mount Charleston is a popular travel destination for visitors and residents of the city at any time of the year. It rises at an altitude of 3,632 meters and is situated 40 miles away from Las Vegas, making a rental car the most convenient way to get there.
It has been covered with snow for more than six months. Hiking trails lead to its top, but the ascent usually takes a whole day and requires good physical fitness.
On the top of the mountain, you’ll see a memorial in the form of a propeller. It was erected in memory of the plane crash that occurred there in 1955. There are camping and picnic areas at the foot, so you will have a place to relax and have a snack.
Gardens at the Springs Preserve
Located around the sources of drinking water, the whole complex includes desert botanical gardens, open-air concert venues, hiking trails, and museum exhibits. Believe it or not, all of these facilities are placed almost in the center of Las Vegas, where you can quickly get to with your rental car.
The desert gardens are home to about 300 species of trees and shrubs, including white fir, ferocactus, prickly pear, single-leaved pine, jojoba, and juniper. In addition to plants, within the reserve is a complex of buildings with an interactive gallery, a design laboratory, and a technical center. So you will have a huge choice of what to do in the preserve.
Shark Reef Aquarium
A public Shark Reef Aquarium is located in the luxurious Mandalay Bay hotel resort. Before arriving there in your rental car, consider the available parking options in Las Vegas to find a suitable place to leave your vehicle.
The main reservoir of Shark Reef holds nearly 5 million liters of water and is considered to be the largest in North America. It’s home to fish from different seas and oceans. A cylindrical tunnel passes through the huge aquarium. While walking in it, you can observe Galapagos, tiger, and reef sharks, stingrays, and sawfish in natural conditions.
The Shark Reef Aquarium also has an artificial jungle with golden crocodiles, salamanders, a Komodo dragon, as well as a sensory pool with crabs, seahorses, and zebra sharks.
Red Rock Canyon
A conservation area in the vicinity of Las Vegas attracts travelers with red rock formations. The sandstone mountains, reaching a height of 2,485 meters, are ideal for hiking, cycling and climbing.
The canyon is home to plants typical of the arid regions of America: agave, juniper, Joshua tree, Mojave yucca, black brush, and banana yucca. The reserve is home to desert turtles, wild donkeys, rabbits, and gophers, so this is a great opportunity to get to know the wildlife of Nevada.
Hoover Dam
One of the most popular attractions around Las Vegas is the Hoover Dam. You can easily find it if traveling in a rental car equipped with a satellite navigator. Keep your way to the Black Canyon on the Nevada-Arizona border.
The hydraulic structure is an arched concrete dam with a height of 220 meters and a hydroelectric power plant on the Colorado River. Due to the construction of the dam, Lake Mead appeared. It supplies water to nearby cities. There are always a lot of holidaymakers near this lake. People are sunbathing on sandy beaches, swimming, boating, and fishing.
Wet‘n’Wild Las Vegas
A water park in the suburbs of Las Vegas appeared in 2013. On the territory of 17 hectares, you’ll find swimming pools and modern water attractions. Whether it’s rafting on a turbulent artificial stream, downhill slopes, or relaxing on a lazy river, you will have a great time there.
Everyone can try family rafting, tube slides, water cannons, and a wave pool. Fountains with drinking water gush out from underground around the park. There’s a hotel, cafe, bar, and gift shop on site.
Death Valley
The Mojave Desert is famous for one unique location that is easily accessible from Las Vegas with a rental car. This is Death Valley National Park, where an absolute temperature maximum of almost 57˚C was recorded.
The park includes the Badwater Basin (the lowest point in North America), as well as water-filled karst caves, Mount Whitney, and Racetrack Playa dry lake. Huge stones slowly move along the clay bottom of the lake, leaving impressive footprints behind them. Nobody knows the reason for this phenomenon, but it looks really fantastic.