[kurowsks3]

I along with a few friends will be traveling to Las Vegas late Feb/early March. We were thinking of camping for ~4 nights then spending 3-4 nights in Vegas. I have never been to Nevada and would like to experience some of its (natural) beauty before heading off to Vegas. We are mostly looking to do car camping and would like to visit at least two different areas. We are all in relatively good shape but by no means experienced hikers. Sites within a few hours of Vegas are preferred.

Any suggestions on where to go?
Also, any advice about Las Vegas would be appreciated.

Thanks

[dynimagelv]

my suggestion would be Death Valley National Park......warm enough in Feb for good camping

[redwhale]

I tend to agree, but the nights could be brutally cold if you're camping. I wouldn't call that time of year optimal for exploring the outdoors out here. If you're willing to head a little farther away, Joshua Tree is pretty gosh darn awesome. Here's some more info about Death Valley. Good luck, and post later if you find some awesome spots. It might be worth scoping out nearby Utah as well. Don't forget to check out state parks as well as national parks.

[Buzz123]

It's just outside of Nevada in Utah, but the best place for you is Zion National Park. It is not only the most beautiful place within three hours of Vegas, there are many, many great hiking trails, and it's where everybody goes from here for a brief getaway. Camp sites can fill up, although at that time you may not have much competition. But there are some RV parks just outside Zion itself in or near Springdale. It can get cold there, but Zion is generally pretty mild so you'd probably be all right. And if you feel the need for a warm meal and something to do, the little town of Springdale, UT, is right at the entrance.

Weather wise you might find Lake Mead is a good place to camp at that time of year, but probably not for four days.

A month or two later on and a whole world of great camping will open up. But late Feb/early March is still winter. Most of our camping is at high elevations where there will be a lot of snow until after Easter. Lower elevations at that time of year can be wet and windy.

Zion is your best bet unless you go south into California's Mojave Desert. And Death Valley around Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells would probably be warming up a little by March.

You can get maps on line for all of those places.

[Buzz123]

Some links for you to peruse.

Zion National Park - Zion National Park Utah

Grand Circle | Utah.com

Nevada Division of State Parks - Valley of Fire State Park

Bird and Hike.com

Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, Barstow Field Office, Bureau of Land Management California

Arizona Highways Magazine - Scenic Arizona Photography, Arizona Maps, Arizona Souvenirs (http://www.arizonahighways.com/index.cfm - broken link)

Welcome to the Grand Circle Association Web Site

*** 2010 Wings & Wildlife Festival Updates *** | Southern Nevada Birding & Wildlife Trails Partnership

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California (DesertUSA)

Sandy Valley Ranch

Mojave National Preserve (DesertUSA)

Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

[Pauline May]

My vote goes to Valley of Fire for the easy hiking, mild temperatures and close proximity to Las Vegas (40 miles up I-15). Going to Utah in the late winter/early spring could get you in the middle of a snow storm.

Death Valley is another good option, albeit further away.

Pauline

[swagger]

Might be too far out of the way, depending on which route you're taking to get here, but Great Basin National Park is worth seeing.

Great Basin National Park - Lehman Caves Tours (U.S. National Park Service)

Google Map

[kurowsks3]

Thank you all for your help. It seems like going later in the year would be better but unfortunately late Feb/early March is the only time available to us. I'll have to talk this over with my friends and see what we decide on though Zion NP seems like the best bet given the time of year.

[Buzz123]

You didn't say where you'll be coming from.

You know, you could just spend all your time in Las Vegas, as there is more than enough to keep you busy here in town. You can't see it all in three days. But then you can drive out into the desert to various neat places close by, like The Valley of Fire and The Lost City Museum at Overton, Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, Boulder City and Bootleg Canyon, ghost town of Nelson (for a mine tour), and Zion Nat'l Park can be a day trip or an overnighter. Trying to do too much on one trip can ruin the whole trip.

[kurowsks3]

We're all in Michigan now, so we'd be flying in. We were trying to decide how to break up the trip before, but it seems more and more logical to spend more time in Las Vegas, and maybe head out to Lake Mead/Hoover Dam for a day trip then maybe an overnight trip to Zion National Park (at the suggestion of Buzz123). I guess were just trying to experience the best of Las Vegas and the surrounding area given the time we have.
Thanks for all your help.