The plan was to head to Utah after Arizona - it was still well quite cold in Bryce and Zion so I went to Nevada instead.
The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
I stopped by the Hoover Dam. It’s huge! An incredible feat of engineering*. That evening I drove into the hills, camping on Lake Mead nearby and enjoying a sunset over the Las Vegas Bay.
Red Rock Canyon
West of Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has tons of great hiking and sightseeing. I hiked the Calico Tanks trail up to a nice view of the Las Vegas Valley.
Icy Waterfalls in the Spring Mountains
On the other side of Red Rock Canyon, the Spring Mountains experience a fairly different climate this time of year. I hiked to Mary Jane Falls (hehe), and there was still snow on the ground. The falls were sparse, but formed really cool ice mounds at the bottom!
Next up: Death Valley National Park!
*As much of a technical achievement as it is, it’s important to note the Hoover Dam’s effect on Indigenous people’s lives – not only is it built on Indigenous lands, it has also had significant negative downstream effects. Read more here and here.
Vegas? Where’s the glitz and glamor? Where’s the casinos and gambling? Fear and loathe not, good reader, continue scrolling for Vegas…after dark.
