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City Guide - Las Vegas - Excursions | ||
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Excursions For a Half Day Red Rock Canyon: Designated a National Conservation Area in 1990, Red Rock Canyon is a 78,800-hectare (197,000-acre) park located 16km (ten miles) west of Las Vegas. The park provides a scenic drive, hiking trails, rock climbing, bicycling and picnic areas. The defining attraction of Red Rock Canyon is a geological feature known as the Keystone Thrust Fault. This was formed about 65 million years ago when two of the Earth's crustal plates collided, forcing a grey limestone plate up and over the younger red one, making for some of the most dramatic scenery in the Mojave desert. Today, Joshua trees add another element to the sublimely coloured sandstone and jagged desert landscape. The Visitors Centre (tel: (702) 363 1921) houses various exhibits and provides naturalist-guided walks. Hiking trails range from easy to moderately strenuous. Travel by car via Charleston Boulevard, is recommended as the park features a scenic drive. Coach transport is available from Gray Line Las Vegas (tel: (702) 384 1234). For a Whole Day Hoover Dam & Lake Mead: Located 56km (35 miles) from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam is one of the most famous dams in the world. One of America's many public works projects during the Depression, it is an unusually beautiful representative of the era's engineering. It stretches 380m (1247ft) across the Colorado River, holding back the waters of Lake Mead. The dam itself contains 2,486,250 cubic metres (3,250,000 cubic yards) of concrete, and functions primarily as a power generator, supplying electricity to Nevada as well as nearby California and Arizona. Visitor tours examine the construction of the dam and explore its hydroelectric generating facilities. Lake Mead offers sightseeing, sunbathing and a variety of water-oriented activities. The Hoover Dam is open daily 0800-1745. A car is recommended for visiting the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, both accessible via Highway 93. Coach service is available from Gray Line Las Vegas (tel: (702) 384 1234). Grand Canyon: It is possible to reach the Grand Canyon in a full-day excursion from Las Vegas. Scenic Airlines (tel: (800) 634 6801 or (702) 638 3300; e-mail: res@scenic.com; web site: www.scenic.com) offers various tours, including overnight stays and two-day hikes. However, the 'Grand Canyon Deluxe' tour offers a narrated aerial tour of Lake Mead, the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Upon arrival at Grand Canyon airport, there is a coach tour through the Grand Canyon National Park, with plenty of stops for staring at the stunning scenery. The entire trip, including flight back to Las Vegas, takes eight hours and costs US$209, which includes lunch and hotel pick-up and drop-off. Scenic Airlines also offer a highlights aerial tour, which lasts three hours in total from pick-up to drop-off and costs US$99, taking in Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Colorado River and the western edge of the Grand Canyon. Other specialised trips to the closer Grand Canyon West Rim take around five hours and include either a trip to an Indian Reservation on the ground or a helicopter flight for closer inspection of the Canyon. |