I have now been in Las Vegas for close to 5 months! Is that crazy or what?? I have kept busy with meeting new people, trying new activities, and of course my new job. I wanted to take a second to highlight some great weekend trips that I have done or have been told to do! I would love to do more traveling around the area right now, but it is also tricky with the Coronavirus still present and not under control. Look below to see the fun you can have just a few hours away (at most)!
– Kanarra Falls (Utah) was absolutely gorgeous and such a fun way to hike that is not just going up the heights. This hike took us through lots of water, scrambling over rocks, and using ladders/ropes to help ourselves up the taller ones all leads to some pretty falls tucked in a canyon! I highly recommend this hike, especially in the warmer months. We went early in October and it was perfect! It got a bit chilly once you were in the canyon and water for too long, but your shoes dried off just a few minutes after going back into the sun! If you do this hike, pack some tall waterproof socks.. most of the hike is literally through water. On the drive be sure to stop in St. George and eat at Peppers Cantina for some delicious Mexican food and Margaritas! Portions are large and service is great. (~ 2.5 hours from Vegas}
– Flagstaff, Arizona is a small(ish) town that is well-known for its fall colors in the south. We went and took a weekend mid-October to embrace some fall colors while living in the desert. This was a fun trip that we got to embrace breweries, hiking, and of course brought the pups on this one! If you come to this small town, there are for sure some places you need to visit for some good food and drinks. These include Galaxy Diner (50s diner feel), Lumberyard Tap Room & Grille (fun flights of beer), and Civano Coffee House (fun night club vibe and great staff). If you have a big enough group, The Mayor is a great place to sit around a fire and have some drinks! Inner Basin Trail is where we got to see colors of fall. This was a great, not too strenuous hike that I would say anybody could do! It doesn’t have an endpoint with a view, but the trees that you are walking through and the colors of fall in October are so great and beautiful throughout the hike. (~ 4 hours from Las Vegas)
– Zion National Park (Utah) is a great day/overnight trip with some great views! We went and stayed in the glamping tents, on the Northern side of the park, for a full weekend. Zion itself is a natural beauty that you need to drive through and see! The fun part of here is that you can see many different seasons in the southern part of the country. When we went (early November), it was great weather to be hiking! The first day of hikes it was cool enough we weren’t getting dehydrated, but warm enough that we had to strip layers at one point. The second day we did a hike with a little more elevation and ended up hiking through inches of snow. The hikes we completed (and I would highly recommend for those that are not afraid of hikes and are fairly active) would be Angel’s Landing and Observation Point. Angel’s Landing is not for the faint of heart, I am not scared of heights typically and like to think I am active, but that one tested me mentally more than anything! Gorgeous views at the top and small chipmunks that have no social boundaries. The nice thing about this hike is that if you don’t want to go all up through the mentally difficult part, take a left at the Y and continue up the West Rim trail. This is a little bit easier with similar great views! Observation Point is great! For the most part it is a moderate level hike, mostly due to the elevation, because I was for sure heavy breathing at times. This one is also cooler in temperature, so if you are going to hike it anytime after October, layers are key! From this area, you get a great view on top of Zion looking down. It is actually gorgeous! (park ~ 2 hours & 45 minutes from Vegas)
With all of that being said, this is for sure not an exhaustive list! These are just the trips I have taken.. Here are some other places I want to visit before moving that are just a drive away: San Diego, CA (5 1/2 hours); Los Angeles, CA (4 1/2 hours); Palm Springs, CA (4 hours); Joshua Tree National Park (3 1/2 hours); Phoenix, AZ (4 hours & 45 minutes); Lake Tahoe (7 hours); and Death Valley (2 hours & 15 minutes).
-Natalie-
Travel.Therapy.Love.Repeat. 