More about: Off-Road Tours in Las Vegas
Do you like to feel the adrenaline pumping through your body? Sure, gambling can be a thrill, but I can assure you that Las Vegas has a lot more to see and do than just being in the casinos downtown. Its privileged location, in the middle of the desert and close to renowned nature reserves, makes it an ideal city for adventure sports.
If you've come on holiday to Las Vegas and want to have a unique experience, there's nothing better than getting on an off-road vehicle and getting to grips with the wild terrain. There are many types of tours and destinations in the area, so I'm going to help you out by telling you about the most popular ones so you'll be spoilt for choice.
1. Hidden Valley and Primm off-road tour
If you've come to Las Vegas looking for new experiences and want to get to know the city's surroundings, you should know that there is a wide range of tours to natural parks from Las Vegas. However, one of the most highly recommended is the off-road tour.
Some of these tours tend to focus on a specific area, whether it's dunes or signposted circuits. However, if you hire a complete tour of the Hidden Valley and Primm Valley area, you will have a total experience, being able to cross a total of almost 80 kilometres between dunes, rocky terrain and nature in its purest form.
This type of tour is usually done in groups of no more than 10 people, as the guide must be aware of each of you at all times.
Throughout the almost 5 hours of this tour, you will visit such impressive places as the Mojave Desert, the Seven Magic Mountains, the Hidden Valley National Monument or the McCullough Mountain Range. Much depends on which tour you book, but you're sure to get a more than complete and vivid picture of the Las Vegas area.
Interesting details
- Price: around 250€.
- Duration: The tours usually last about 5 hours.
- Location: they usually take you from Las Vegas to Hidden Valley, passing through different places of interest.
- To bear in mind: This is a somewhat demanding tour. Although no experience is necessary, it is not recommended for children under 16 and you should be well prepared with comfortable shoes and clothes.
2. Off-road tour of Lake Mead and the Colorado River
There are many worthwhile excursions from Las Vegas. Don't forget that this city was built from nothing in an inhospitable environment full of unparalleled natural scenery. Some of the most popular tours include excursions to the Grand Canyon.
However, if you want to see the area in a more original way and get up close and personal with the river that gives it its name, I suggest you hop in a four-wheel drive vehicle and hit the road.
There are several tours that will take you to Lake Mead National Park, a lake where the Colorado River flows into the Arizona-Nevada border.
I can't think of a better way to get here than by driving your own ATV. To get there, you'll have to drive for at least 3 hours over the rocky, desert-like terrain of the area.
At all times, you will be accompanied by a guide who will mark out the route and ensure your safety. And if you're travelling in the warmer months, you can even take advantage of the stop at the lake for a dip.
Interesting details
- Price: approximately 230€.
-Duration: it is usually a long excursion, lasting almost 7 hours.
- Location: The route usually starts in the city of Las Vegas and goes all the way to Laje Mead Nature Park.
- Pleasenote: This is a long and physically demanding tour, so it is not recommended for children, people with injuries or pregnant women. Lunch is usually included in these tours.
3. Nellis Dunes Off-Road Tour
If you're only in Las Vegas for a few days, but don't want to give up the chance to get on an ATV and feel the power and adrenaline of the desert, don't worry. You don't need to embark on one of the full or half-day tours.
The great thing about Las Vegas, compared to other cities, is that it is literally in the middle of nowhere, and you can find such incredible places as the Nellis Dunes just a few kilometres outside the city.
This area, with a total of approximately 4,000 hectares, receives numerous tours organised by the hand of a guide who, for about 3 hours, will take you through the dunes and sliding down the sandy slopes.
You can live this complete experience accompanied by your friends or family and get to know the whole desert area in depth. You will also be able to stop on several occasions to take pictures of one of the best views of the city of Las Vegas from a distance.
By Mini Buggy
Due to its proximity, Nellis Dunes welcomes all kinds of adventure and desert related activities. In addition to the ATV tours, there is also the popular Buggy Mini tour.
This type of transport, much lower than an ATV, will make you feel like you're on a real rollercoaster as you ride down the steep dunes. It is recommended for all thrill-seekers in Las Vegas.
Interesting details
- Price: Both tours cost between 180€ and 190€.
- Duration: These tours last around 3 hours.
- Location: Nellis Dunes.
- To bear in mind: this is the perfect type of excursion if you are short on time as it is close to the city and does not require great physical condition or previous experience. However, the groups tend to be large, with around 30 participants.
4. Off-road tour in the Mojave Desert
Las Vegas was built just 100 years ago in the middle of the breathtaking Mojave Desert, and although the city has been gaining ground year after year, all nature lovers agree that the setting is utterly enviable.
Its Nature Reserve is just a few kilometres from the city centre and is an ideal place to go off-road.
There are several excursions that can take you to this beautiful landscape. Most of them are in large groups and can have more than one guide who will control all participants.
Being able to leave on your ATV from the very sign "Welcome to Las Vegas" and arrive in less than 2 hours to the centre of the Nature Reserve is a real luxury that you can't miss during your stay in Las Vegas. This is definitely a recommended tour to get away from the hustle and bustle of the casinos for a few hours and breathe in the warm desert air.
Interesting details
- Price: usually around 100€.
- Duration: In total, this type of tour can last 4 hours.
- Location: Tours usually start from the outskirts of Las Vegas and go all the way to the Mojave Nature Reserve.
- Things to consider: It's a fairly affordable tour and you have the option of taking children in an extra chair.
5. Golden Canyon and gold mining tour
The gold rush hit the Nevada and Arizona area hard and there were many mines where hundreds of people left their lives to improve their fortunes.
Today, remnants of that era remain, and if you're visiting Las Vegas, you're in luck, as one of the most famous sites is quite close to the city.
It's the entire Golden Canyon area and the Techatticup gold mine, very close to the popular Hoover Dam. If you want to do this pilgrimage in a unique and thrilling way, I can't think of a better way than to book one of the tours that take you driving your own ATV through the middle of the desert.
After about an hour of driving and adrenaline, you'll arrive at the mine entrance. Most tours include the entrance fee to enter the dark passageways. You'll also get to see the scenery of the Golden Canyon and take a ride through the rocky terrain in your fun four-wheeler.
Interesting details
- Price: usually costs around €200.
- Duration: This is a half-day excursion that can take around 6 hours.
- Location: The tour usually starts outside Las Vegas and goes all the way to Golden Canyon, stopping at the Techatticup Mine.
- Please note: Due to the length of the tour, it is not recommended for people with medical conditions, young children or pregnant women. These tours usually include food, drink and entrance to the mines and groups are limited to 10 people.
6. Valley of Fire off-road tour
If you want to see scenery straight out of another planet, the Valley of Fire is definitely waiting for you. The name was not given by chance, this place is characterised by its unusual rock formations and red sands, which look like something out of Mars. Being able to get to this place is an unforgettable experience.
If you come to Las Vegas in 7 days or more and have time to invest a whole day in a tour, I assure you that the Valley of Fire has a lot to see and do, but one of the most popular activities among visitors is to arrive and tour the place in an ATV or Buggy.
This place is about 2 hours from downtown and, upon arrival, you will have about 3 hours to take advantage of the area and its incredible scenery.
The groups for this type of tour are usually large, but you will be supervised at all times by a guide who will also give you an introduction to the type of vehicle you choose.
Details of interest
-Price: it usually costs around €350.
- Duration: this is a full-day activity, lasting around 8 hours in total.
- Location: The drive will take you from the town of Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire Reserve.
- Pleasenote: This is a very intense type of tour, not recommended for older adults, people with injuries, pregnant women or small children. Entrance fees to the reserve are usually included, as well as lunch and drinks.
7. Off-road tour to Area 51
Are you a mystery and conspiracy buff? Then you should know that from Las Vegas you're only two hours away from one of the most intriguing places on the planet; Area 51. This place is located in the middle of the desert and is quite difficult to enter, but not if you're in a prepared off-road vehicle.
If beyond the adrenaline of the bumps and dunes, what you want is to take advantage of your holiday in Las Vegas to visit this place and see with your own eyes the scenarios where, supposedly, there have been sightings of extraterrestrials, it is best to contrast a type of excursion that will take you with a small group in a luxury SUV to this place.
It is an excursion that usually lasts all day but is fully equipped so that you can travel comfortably. In addition, a guide will be able to guide you to the exact places where "paranormal events" have occurred . Do you dare to discover them?
Interesting details
- Price: around 200€.
- Duration: it is a full day tour, approximately 10 hours.
- Location: departs from Las Vegas and arrives by jeep at Area 51.
- Please note: This is a long tour that will take all day but lunch, drinks, transport and entrance fees are included.
8. Off road tour of the Red Rock Canyon Preserve
If you're a true nature lover, you'll know that one of the closest nature reserves to the city of Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon.
This place is only a 30 minute drive from the city centre and boasts an unparalleled landscape of fossilised rocks and a jagged formation polished by the desert wind.
It's a blast to tour this place and even more so if you do it on a 4WD tour. You can drive yourself from Strip Avenue to the entrance of the reserve. From here, a guide will take you and the group on different routes.
You'll also have the opportunity to stop and walk around the area to take photos and enjoy nature. These tours usually last half a day, so you can take advantage of the day to do other things in the city.
Details of interest
- Price: 150€ approximately.
- Duration: around 3 hours.
- Location: The tour route goes from downtown Las Vegas to Red Rock Canyon Nature Reserve.
- Please note: Usually small groups of no more than 7 people and is ideal to do with a trusted group.
9. Las Vegas Open Road Tour
Want to get off the beaten track? Then Las Vegas has the perfect plan. If you've got the itch to go on an off-road tour but, beyond where to go, what you want is to experience the adrenaline rush of driving these machines through the desert, there's a type of tour designed for you.
Bear in mind that, as soon as you leave the civilisation of Las Vegas, you'll literally be in the middle of the desert. That's why many companies offer a type of tour in which they provide you with an all-terrain vehicle that you can drive, all the safety equipment and a guide who will take you through different areas close to the city.
This way, you can drive on your own, always followed by a guide so you don't get lost. You will feel the energy and excitement of sliding down the dunes at full speed.
These tours can also be done at sunset, so you can be back in Las Vegas at night to go to one of the casinos or resorts.
Interesting details
- Price: usually costs around €200.
- Duration: Tours last no more than 2 hours.
- Location: in the dunes closest to Las Vegas.
- Please note: You can choose the private tour mode and be alone with your group of friends or family.
10. Private tour on a closed track
If you're a little apprehensive about entering the desert or the rocky canyon areas, but still want to experience the thrill of motoring across the desert sand, you're in luck.
In Las Vegas you have several enclosed tracks built with sand roads on which you can drive an off-road vehicle.
Without having to leave the city, you can experience the speed and thrill of the ups and downs and the heat of the desert. You will have all the necessary means to make it safe and you will also have prior instruction, which makes it an ideal activity to do with children in Las Vegas.
Moreover, the duration of this type of tour is usually no more than two hours, and, because it is within the city, it can be an ideal activity to do and then continue with the sightseeing.
Details of interest
- Price: around €100.
- Duration: usually lasts 1 to 2 hours.
- Location: the closed circuits are usually on the outskirts of the city.
- To bear in mind: it is private and is suitable for almost everyone.
When is the best time to go on an off-road excursion?
Generally, the best time to go to Las Vegas is when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold, i.e. in the spring and autumn months. April and May, and September and October are the preferred months to visit the city.
However, if you want to get the most out of your off-road excursions, it's best to do it in the colder months.
Winter in Las Vegas is not particularly cold and if you consider that you'll be exposed to the desert wind during your off-road excursions, you'll appreciate that it's a little cooler than in summer.
Are these tours suitable for everyone?
The truth is that you have to like these types of tours beforehand to want to do them. They are activities that require stamina and physical condition that can withstand hours and hours outdoors with bumps and slopes.
People who have some kind of injury, pregnant women or small children are not usually suitable for long journeys through the desert in an off-road vehicle.
In these cases, the best option on a trip to Las Vegas is to make the most of the city's plans, such as attending the best shows at the resorts or visiting some of the best museums in Las Vegas.
Don't think twice, adventure on the desert sand awaits!