If you’re looking for a fun and adventurous weekend, a trip to Las Vegas and the Valley of Fire State Park is a great choice! Las Vegas is known for its world-class casinos and entertainment, while the Valley of Fire State Park offers breathtaking views and fascinating geological formations. To make the most of your weekend, plan to spend a full day in Las Vegas for all the fun and excitement it has to offer. Then, head to the Valley of Fire State Park for a day of hiking and sightseeing. If you’re interested in a bit more of a thrill, then consider renting a Polaris RZR for an off-road adventure that will for sure be the highlight of your trip. Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks so you can stay hydrated and energized throughout your entire trip!
This was the first out-of-state trip my husband and I have taken together without our kids. Thankfully Grandpa agreed to an extended sleepover with them so we could go do some adventuring in Nevada. Our weekend trip technically started after the workday ended on Friday with us staying at a Holiday Inn near the Airport, so we didn’t have to get up early and risk traffic or road conditions with the 2-hour drive from our home to the airport. If you have an early flight and have the means to stay at a hotel the night before I highly recommend doing so. It was so much less stressful.
The travel on Saturday went better than expected. To get a direct flight and not spend most of our weekend in airports there was only one option, and the airline doesn’t have the best reputation for consistency and quality. Thankfully, we only had to deal with a gate change so we will call it a win! We also lucked out and were able to check into our resort early. If you are looking for a quieter or more family-friendly option, then you should check out the Desert Club Resort through the Holiday Inn Club Vacations network. We had to walk two blocks to get to the strip, but the atmosphere of the resort was worth the extra steps.
The rest of Saturday was really just exploring the strip. This was my first time there, but my husband has been to a few bachelor’s parties over the years. My favorite spot was the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort. I love to people watch so we had lunch at the Taqueria Canonita which gave us the perfect view of the gondolas. Bonus, the food and drinks there were AMAZING! My second favorite spot was the Fountains of Bellagio, specifically at night. We did go watch them during the day but the lights at night were just spectacular. While it was cool seeing the different sites in person, I’ll be honest that I would be perfectly ok with never visiting the Vegas strip again. The crowds and concrete aren’t my vibe. However, the proximity to The Valley of Fire State Park will for sure have me and my family returning to Vegas.
Our view from lunch was ideal for people watching and hearing the gondoliers’ singing. There was this one older gentleman who was phenomenal.
The highlight of my trip by far was walking the trails throughout The Valley of Fire State Park which is just under an hour away from Vegas. The park is open from sunrise to sunset and costs only $15 for a day pass for those that live outside of Nevada. They do have camping areas throughout that may be added to our Bucket List to do as a family because the views were breathtakingly beautiful. We did our best to explore the 400,000 acres in just under 4 hours but there was only so much we could fit in without missing our reservations for our off-road adventure. While the Fire Wave gets a lot of fanfare on social media my favorite formation was the Beehive. It was something that was out of this world in how it got to look like that. We also got to see two different herds of Big Horned Sheep (one was the males and the other was the females). We saw the male herd near the petroglyphs, so we got to hang out and watch them for a bit. The petrified trees were pretty disappointing so if you are short on time, I would recommend just skipping that portion of the park.
The highlight for my husband was the off-road adventure I booked us through Ultimate Desert Adventures which is a certified Polaris Outfitter. There are other businesses in the area where you can rent side-by-sides or ATVs to explore the Moapa Valley outside of Las Vegas but this one offered the self-guided option as I thought it would be more fun to explore at our own pace. For around $400 we had four hours to explore via a 2022 Polaris RZR XP 1000 (they do have Turbos and four-seater options) to explore over 200 miles of trails just outside the Valley of Fire State Park on the Logandale Trail System. This trail system was AMAZING. There were so many different terrain types from rocky to sand to durable surfaces (for campers/RVs to come in on). They had hills, plateaus, and straightaways, really there was something for all skill levels to enjoy themselves. If you head to our YouTube page, we have posted a compiled video of the various terrain types. We were out there for almost four hours so we didn’t record the entire time and only had our phones with us, but the compiled recordings (about 11 minutes) will give you an idea of what you will experience and see out there.
Now if you want to take your kids or you are just a shorter adult, they do have a requirement that the riders have to be able to touch the floorboards. The staff said the RZR XP 1000s would be about 54 inches in height with the Turbos needing to be closer to 58 inches. This is one of the reasons why this trip was just the hubs and I because our oldest (he’s 8) is just shy of that 54-inch mark. Once they are all tall enough, we will definitely be planning a trip back! We may even do some camping.
Be sure to check out our social media for more pictures and videos of our trip to help inspire you to plan your own.
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My Offroad Family 
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