{"id":2478,"date":"2009-11-18T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T14:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=2478"},"modified":"2016-12-17T00:44:33","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T06:44:33","slug":"las-vegas-skip-the-strip-and-enjoy-the-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/las-vegas-skip-the-strip-and-enjoy-the-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas: Skip the Strip and enjoy the outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Hoover<\/em><\/em>

Hoover Dam (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)<\/p><\/div>\n

By E.C. Gladstone<\/em><\/p>\n

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Think you\u2019ll be cooped up inside one of our Las Vegas hotels<\/strong><\/a> your entire time here? Think again. Despite the deserved reputation of our mega-resorts as never-need-to-leave wonderlands, fact is, the Vegas valley is filled with more outdoor activities<\/strong> than most visitors imagine. Now that the weather has cooled a bit, I thought it would be a great time to tell you about them.<\/p>\n

First among our outdoor attractions would have to be the Hoover Dam<\/strong>, the marvel of the modern world whose construction put Las Vegas on the map. Little more than a half hour from the Strip, the tour that takes you 537 feet down into the power plant is a fascinating education in construction engineering, water usage and electricity generation for the old or young, and certainly worth the drive. (Several reputable tour companies run bus trips as well: the tour is the same no matter who takes you there.) On the way, you can check out Boulder City\u2019s State Railroad Museum<\/strong>, bighorn sheep-dwelling Hemenway Valley Park<\/strong>, and Bootleg canyon zip lines.<\/p>\n

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\"Grand

Grand Canyon (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)<\/p><\/div>\n

The dam created what is now Lake Mead, which also offers rafting and kayaking in Black Canyon<\/strong>, the Desert Princess paddlewheel boat, a beach, fishing and more (speedboating on weekends is popular with locals).<\/p>\n

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Of course, Vegas is the closest major city to Arizona\u2019s natural wonder the Grand Canyon<\/strong><\/a>: several tour companies offer several different ways to experience it, including the glass Skywalk over the west rim, pontoon boats and rafts on the river, and helicopter rides to the canyon floor. I haven\u2019t tried all of them, but one I can recommend is Papillion helicopter, which runs clean, well-maintained modern craft with experienced, friendly pilots out of the McCarran Executive terminal on West Tropicana Boulevard. (Several other lines embark from there too; be sure to ask about the company\u2019s experience and visibility from the craft when choosing.) Many bus companies also take longer tours to the canyon.<\/p>\n

I should also mention several other flying options:<\/p>\n