Sample Itineraries

Choose one: Hoover Dam - Desert Strip Adventure - Mountain Escape - Native American Passage - Neon Zone - River Region

Mountain Escape

Tour No. 8: Mount Charleston

Towering nearly 10,000 feet above the valley floor, Mount Charleston offers a cool respite from summer's heat and a winter playground with ski and snowboarding slopes. This is an excellent tour for a step-on guide.

There are dramatic scenery changes once the coach leaves Las Vegas via U.S. 95 North. After the tour reaches Kyle Canyon Road (State Route 157), your clients will pass through several ecosystems ‚ the creosote bush and Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert, the sagebrush and pinion pines of the high desert, and tall pines at the 8,000-foot level. The upper forest area of the mountain range is home of the pygmy blue butterfly, the smallest butterfly in the world. The Mt. Charleston Resort is located at the top of Kyle Canyon Road and is a logical rest stop.

For those who want to return to Las Vegas via the loop road to the ski resort and State Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road), there is also an excellent refreshment stop at the Swiss-style Mt. Charleston Hotel. The hotel is located one-quarter mile east of the turnoff that leads to State Route 156 and (eight miles north) the Lee Canyon Ski and Snowboard Resort. On the return to Las Vegas, a box lunch can be enjoyed at shady Floyd Lamb State Park, or buffets at nearby Santa Fe Station, Fiesta, and Texas Station casinos on Rancho Road (an alternate to U.S. 95).

Mileage: 100. Time: Four hours, not including lunch.

Tour No. 9: Red Rock National Conservation Area

A tour of Red Rock Canyon can be enhanced by starting at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, which is located in tree-shaded Lorenzi Park off Washington Avenue, five miles west of downtown Las Vegas. The museum has excellent displays on Nevada's history and prehistory.

Red Rock Canyon is one of the most studied and visited spots in Nevada and is easily reached by traveling west on Charleston Boulevard to the BLM-operated visitor center. Known for its geological quirks and brilliant colors, Red Rock is a photographer's delight. A stop at the visitor center will explain why geologists flock to Red Rock to study the younger formations that are buried below much older rock. A 13-mile scenic loop that begins near the visitor center offers a close-up view of the sandstone cliffs that are popular with rock climbers. Red Rock is also home to wild mustangs and burros, which are best viewed at a distance.

Mileage: 30. Time: Four hours.

Tour No. 10: Red Rock Loop

After touring Red Rock Canyon, continue on State Route 159 to historic Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Allow time to explore the picturesque ranch, whose past owners include Vera Krupp and Howard Hughes. This is an excellent tour for a step-on guide. The loop will take the coach past Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada, a re-created Old West town; the Oliver Ranch, which is home to the Bureau of Land Management's Adopt-A-Horse program; and the tiny town of Blue Diamond.

State Route 159 ends at Interstate 15 and the Silverton casino. Silverton is a logical lunch stop, particularly if your tour includes a shopping stop at the Belz Factory Outlet Mall.

Mileage: 86. Time: Five hours does not include lunch or shopping