Adventurous Las Vegas Itinerary: 4 Days Spent Off the Strip

The city of Las Vegas is one of the most entertaining sensory experiences to be had in the world. But, as if to balance out, it’s also a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. It’s also on the doorstep of some of America’s best national parks and areas, like Zion, Joshua Tree, the west coast, and the Eastern Sierras.

So, though the city is worth experiencing no matter what, there’s even more to do close by if you love nature. This Las Vegas itinerary covers 4 days spent off the strip, with a few trips onto the strip to have a good time.

The itinerary includes trips to Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, the Hoover Dam and lots more.

Let’s get straight into it!

Why an Outdoorsy Person will Love Las Vegas

It’s no wonder why people like Alex Honnold, the famous free soloist and rock climber, and travel influencers like Organized Adventurer have moved to Las Vegas.

You have desert landscapes and mountains all less than an hour from the city. Red Rock Canyon is one of the best places to rock climb in the world and it’s just 30 minutes away. The Hoover Dam is 35 minutes away, while the Grand Canyon is 2 hours and Zion National Park is 3 hours away.

Then you have a state park that’s better than a lot of national parks, Valley of Fire. You’re also close to Joshua Tree and just 4 hours from the coast and surfing!

This city has it all! Here’s how to enjoy 4 days in Las Vegas off the strip.

Las Vegas Itinerary: 4 Days Off the Strip

Las Vegas Itinerary: Day 1

Valley of Fire State Park

We’re starting off with a bang.

My favorite thing during my trip to Las Vegas was hiking in Valley of Fire State Park.

It’s an incredible place, quite literally! It’s hard to wrap your mind around the landscape of Valley of Fire.

You’re driving through hills and a desert landscape without much texture. Then, all of a sudden, you drive into a valley that looks like gigantic dragons live just below the surface. Red fins and cliffs pop out of the ground all over. The textures and colors are gorgeous, and the hikes are some of the best I’ve ever done.

Day 1 of your 4-day Las Vegas itinerary doesn’t have to start too early. Valley of Fire is only 50 minutes from the Las Vegas strip. In fact, Lala and I didn’t get there until the afternoon and still had a spectacular visit.

With 1 day in Valley of Fire State Park, I would suggest you hike a lot.

Elephant Rock

As soon as you enter the west entrance of Valley of Fire State Park, drive straight to the east entrance. Park at the parking lot there.

Just 0.2 miles walking back along the road, there’s a rock that looks like an Elephant. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Valley of Fire.

You can do a 2-mile loop after that to keep walking, but there are better hikes. So, get back in your car and drive to the Visitor Center.

Visitor Center

I like going to Visitor Centers wherever there is one. I’m definitely a nerd – I like learning about how formations were created before going to see them.

Since you have to pass right by the Visitor Center anyway on the way to the next hike, you might as well stop.

Rainbow Vista

This easy 1-mile hike takes you through a canyon and ends at a lookout over Fire Canyon.

It’s absolutely impressive.

Fire Canyon is splayed out before you in all its grandeur. It’s so textured with its gigantic fins of red rock. We gazed at the view for quite a while.

Then, we headed back and got to see the actual “Rainbow Vista” on a small loop most people miss.

Seven Wonders to White Domes Loop

This is by far the best hike in Valley of Fire State Park. It combines the park’s 3 most popular hikes: Fire Wave, Seven Wonders Loop and White Domes Loop.

This hike got me saying Valley of Fire is better than a lot of national parks, like Bryce Canyon, for example.

It’s only 3.1 miles long, but it takes you through crazy textures, super narrow slot canyons, rock that looks like it’s been painted, and under giant cliffs.

You start hiking the Fire Wave Trail and continue on the Seven Wonders Loop (you have trail markers the entire time). In the middle of Seven Wonders Loop, walk to White Domes Loop, finish it, and then finish the Seven Wonders Loop.

It sounds complicated but it isn’t too bad. I go over it and all the other hikes in detail in my guide to hiking in Valley of Fire State Park.

Definitely try to time it so you do this hike during the sunset!

And just like that, Day 1 of your 4-day Las Vegas itinerary comes to an end. It can be a big day depending on how much you hiked.

Drive to Death Valley?

After finishing up at Valley of Fire State Park, you have two options.

You can either drive straight to Death Valley for the next day’s itinerary or back to Las Vegas. Driving to Death Valley takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. If you drive to Las Vegas, it takes 45 minutes. The next day, you’d drive 2 and a half hours. So, it’s actually less driving if you travel straight to Death Valley National Park.

Las Vegas Itinerary: Day 2

Death Valley National Park

First of all, Death Valley National Park IS worth visiting. Lala and I wondered about it ourselves, and others have asked me if it was worth visiting.

It’s a definite YES!

The landscape is spectacular. It’s rugged, with super textured mountains on one side and an enormous range on the other. And then the valley itself has so much – sand dunes, salt flats, hills and way more. There’s so much to do at this national park!

Though you could spend multiple days in Death Valley, this itinerary covers how to see everything you need to see in Death Valley in 1 day.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

This dune field in Death Valley is best enjoyed during the sunrise.

If you made it here the day before, you can stay at the Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel or Campground. From there, the sand dunes are 5 minutes away. It makes it easy to get up and enjoy the sunrise.

This dune field is spectacular and it was my favorite thing to do in Death Valley. The dunes are gorgeous in the dramatic golden sun.

If you’re driving from Las Vegas on Day 2, it might be hard to make it here so early. You can start your day at Badwater Basin.

Badwater Basin

You can’t go to Death Valley and not visit the lowest point in North America.

It’s a beautiful spot with an easy hike to see the salt flats in the valley. The main attraction is the salt polygons that form in the salt. But you also have Telescope Peak, the tallest point in the park towering above you as you walk. It’s beautiful!

But it can also get SO hot.

Natural Bridge & Artists Drive

The Natural Bridge trail was my favorite hike in Death Valley. The main attraction is an arch that crosses the entire wash you’re hiking through. But the hike gets better even farther up the wash. Most people don’t make it past the arch!

Just keep walking until you can’t any longer… it involves two scrambles!

After that, do Artists Drive, which gets you up and close with the colorful cliffs of Death Valley. It’s a 9-mile scenic drive with two amazing stops to gaze at rocks.

Desolation and Golden Canyon

These two hikes are spectacular. Desolation Canyon is longer but more of an adventure. Golden Canyon is shorter but more beautiful.

When I visited, I didn’t do the Desolation Canyon hike because I was too tired from this itinerary. I did do the Golden Canyon hike but made it even shorter by hiking into the gullies on the side of the hike.

It made it more of an adventure and was a bunch of fun.

Both of these hikes are super close to each other and definitely worth giving them a try.

Zabriskie Point

This is the best place in Death Valley to watch the sunset!

Fortunately, the walk to Zabriskie Point from the parking lot is very short. Enjoy a gorgeous sunset gazing at the textures, layers and colors of Death Valley’s mountains.

I wrote a way more detailed article on this exact 1 day Death Valley itinerary. Check it out if you’re interested!

From here, you can sleep on the way to Las Vegas or drive back to the city. If you aren’t driving back to Las Vegas, The Inn at Death Valley and Longstreet Hotel are both great options.

Las Vegas Itinerary: Day 3

Since days 1 and 2 were tiring, Day 3 of the Las Vegas itinerary in 4 days is going to be more relaxed. It still involves a bit of hiking though, as my guides usually do.

1. Red Rock Canyon

As opposed to Death Valley, Red Rock Canyon is right next to Las Vegas. It’s 31 minutes from the Las Vegas strip.

I spent 3 days in Red Rock Canyon because I traveled to Las Vegas mostly to boulder. It was amazing!

But Red Rock Canyon is a state park, and it has SO much to do if you don’t rock climb.

Like most state parks, Red Rock Canyon is best enjoyed by hiking in the canyon. And most of the best hikes can only be accessed from the scenic drive. The perfect combo – a scenic drive and scenic hikes!

Hiking in Red Rock Canyon

1. Easy: Lost Creek – Children’s Discovery (0.75 miles, 200 feet of elevation gain). This hike takes you to a waterfall, depending on the season. You can also see pictographs along the trail, which is rocky at times and a boardwalk at others.
2. Moderate: Calico Tanks (2.5 miles, 450 feet of elevation gain). This hike is an interactive experience through a wash. It ends at a natural tank that may have water in it depending on the season. Plus, you get amazing views of Las Vegas and the surrounding area.
3. Difficult: Ice Box Canyon (2.6 miles, 300 feet of elevation gain). This hike is actually not as strenuous as the Calico Tanks trail. It’s difficult because it’s more of an adventure. You start walking through the desert to the canyon. Once in the canyon, there’s a ton of scrambling and climbing over boulders to the end of the canyon.

Red Rock Canyon State Park Scenic Drive

The scenic drive is a must because it’s gorgeous and because most of the hikes are on the scenic drive.

It’s a one-way 13-mile drive through stunning, impressive cliffs. You can also bike the scenic drive if you want!

The busy season in Red Rock Canyon is October to May. You do need to make a reservation for the scenic drive during these months. You can do it from the Reservation.gov website and it costs $2 to make the reservation and $20 for the actual ticket.

I will say, this is a little pricey for the scenic drive. BUT, if you are through the ticket booth before 8 am, you can get in for free and without a reservation no matter the season.

2. Watch a Show

Can you really say you’ve been to Las Vegas if you didn’t watch a show?

I was amazed at the number of shows happening on any given night in Vegas. You can find anything from big-name musicians to small-time comedians doing their thing any night of the week.

Now, one of Lala’s lifetime dreams used to be to watch a Cirque du Soleil show. We just happened to make that dream come true in none other than the city of shows!

We ended up watching the Cirque du Soleil show “KÀ.”

It was something else.

That show has everything you’d expect from a circus but presented as a story. What’s nice but also weird is that they don’t speak English. It’s all about acting and grunting and sometimes speaking a language of their making to get the message across.

The stage itself is the world’s biggest prop, as it moves back and forth and even vertically. There’s a scene where they’re climbing and swinging from the stage itself. The performers take huge falls and some of the show happens right above you as they swing from one side of the stage to the other.

I definitely recommend KÀ, or any Cirque du Soleil show, for the best value from a show in Las Vegas.

That concludes a spectacular third day of this 4-day Las Vegas itinerary!

Las Vegas Itinerary: Day 4

The last day in Las Vegas involves visiting 3 different landmarks and then spending the night in Sin City… or at least part of it. You’ll visit several iconic spots.

This day covers the places I missed during my visit to Las Vegas but wish I had visited!

1. The Hoover Dam

Visiting the Hoover Dam is one of the top touristy things to do near Las Vegas. It stands 36 minutes from Las Vegas as a testament to human ingenuity.

As much as I love giant mountains and impressive natural formations, I also love enormous feats of architecture. For example, I loved spending 1 day in NYC and Philly surrounded by towering skyscrapers.

But the Hoover Dam is another level. It’s a 726-foot tall dam with a beautiful curved shape. The shape is useful because it transfers the pressure from the water to the canyon walls. I love it when utility meets art like this – nerd stuff.

Touring the Hoover Dam

It’s free to tour the Hoover Dam. You can walk across the dam without paying a fee. Parking on the Arizona side is Free, while parking in Nevada costs $10.

Other than walking around the top, there are several paid tours you can do. There’s the power plant tour, the dam tour and you can even take a helicopter tour from Las Vegas.

I would have just walked the dam without paying for any tour to have time to see it from below.

2. Goldstrike Hot Springs

Just half a mile from the Hoover Dam there’s a canyon with hot springs!

There’s two ways to get there: a difficult, adventurous hike or kayaking right under the Hoover Dam.

Hiking to the Goldstrike Hot Springs

The hike to Goldstrike Hot Springs is the most adventurous one in this 4-day Las Vegas itinerary. It’s 6 miles out and back and involves scrambling over boulders. Sometimes, you even have to use a rope to get up and down the boulders. If you don’t think you could do that, don’t do this hike.

Vitaliy, at TheNatureSeeker.com, did a great job describing how to hike to the Goldstrike Hot Springs. Check out his blog if you decide to do it!

The hike has a number of hot springs along the way, closer to the end, and it ends at the Colorado river. You get a gorgeous view of a bridge spanning the canyon and huge cliffs all around you.

If you don’t feel like doing this hike, you can kayak to the end of the trail.

Kayaking to the Goldstrike Hot Springs

You can rent a kayak in Las Vegas or Boulder City and take it with you. But the easiest way to kayak along the Colorado River is to buy a self-guided tour from Blazin’ Paddles in Boulder City.

I believe they get you to the water, then you get 4 hours to explore the canyon, and then they pick you up. You don’t have to worry about transporting the kayak yourself.

They also offer guided tours, or you could even buy a guided tour for the Hoover Dam and hot springs for a hassle-free day trip.

For this itinerary, after all the hiking the last days, I would definitely kayak instead of hiking. As amazing as the hike sounds, floating on the water sounds even better.

3. Springs Preserve

The Springs Preserve in Las Vegas is just 5 miles from the strip.

It’s a huge green area in the middle of the city with a butterfly habitat, botanical garden, café, and live animal exhibits. It’s like an oasis where you’d least expect it.

Though it’s known as a thing to do with kids in Las Vegas, I think it’s worth going without kids too.

Tickets cost $19 for non-residents of Nevada and $10 for Nevada residents. It’s best to make reservations in advance because it gets full, but you can show up and buy a ticket.

4. Casinos

I have to say, I absolutely loved going to shows and spending nights out on the Las Vegas strip. Lala and I thought driving and walking through the strip was similar to the overwhelmingness of Times Square but on a much larger scale.

It was AMAZING!

Though we love the outdoors above all, we’re all about overwhelming sensory experiences. Las Vegas is exactly that.

The streets are lit up like you wouldn’t believe. There’s something insane going on everywhere. The people-watching is perfect. There’s a ROLLER COASTER in the middle of everything.

And then going into a casino is an overload. People are yelling and laughing everywhere. Lala and I walked around trying to figure out the games but the only fun game was Wheel of Fortune. We watched people lose bunches of money, but we only lost $13.

On a weekday, the casino was surprisingly empty. On the weekend, it was crazy.

The question remains: which casino should you go to? No idea! We went to two different ones and they were essentially the same. I will say, go to one on the strip. They’re more pleasant than the ones downtown, which almost seemed sketchy.

And that’s that for your Las Vegas itinerary – 4 days of fun off the strip with a couple of adventures in the wild city!

The Best Places to Stay in Las Vegas

Trusted House Sitters

I didn’t pay for lodging while we were in Las Vegas.

Lala and I have been Trusted House Sitters for a while now, and that’s what we did in Las Vegas.

The way it works is you pay to be a part of the Trusted House Sitters platform. Then, you can apply to take care of pets and houses around the world. If the homeowner accepts you, you have free lodging for the length of their trip!

It’s like an Airbnb with responsibilities.

We took care of 3 dogs in Las Vegas, in a neighborhood 15 minutes from the strip. It was an amazing experience.

But if you don’t have a gig like this, the best option by far is to stay in a hotel on the Las Vegas strip or an Airbnb.

Hotels in Las Vegas on the Strip

We were actually surprised at the prices of hotels on the strip. They weren’t too expensive! We were expecting ridiculous prices. And, though I’m sure there are extravagant options, the standard rooms weren’t bad at all compared to hotels everywhere.

Here are 3 good options on the strip:

• MGM Grand ($100+ and where you watch the Cirque du Soleil show “KÀ”)
• Caesar’s Palace ($150+)
• Bellagio ($250+)

Final Thoughts

This is an action-packed Las Vegas itinerary: 4 days visiting Valley of Fire State Park, Death Valley, Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam.

This is obviously just a guide, so pick and choose from what you like. These are all my recommendations from what I did, and the last day is what I sadly didn’t have time for.

If you have any questions about visiting Las Vegas off the strip, please comment below and I’ll be sure to answer!

*This blog post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged any more – thanks in advance!