Top Places to Visit in Nevada

Nevada's visitor destinations span the world's entertainment capital, ancient bristlecone pine forests, alien-themed desert highways, and the finest mountain lake in North America.

Las Vegas Strip
The most concentrated entertainment district in the world — 4.2 miles of resort hotels, casinos, restaurants, and performance venues. The Bellagio fountains, the High Roller observation wheel, the Sphere (the world's largest spherical structure, opened 2023), the Fremont Street Experience, and the dozens of world-class restaurants make Las Vegas a destination beyond gambling. The Las Vegas Strip is not within the city of Las Vegas proper — it's in unincorporated Clark County (Paradise). The city of Las Vegas is actually north of the Strip (downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street).

Great Basin National Park
Nevada's only national park outside the recreation areas — a remote gem in the Snake Range near the Utah border. Wheeler Peak (13,063 ft), the Lehman Caves (remarkable marble cave formations), an ancient bristlecone pine forest (some trees over 4,000 years old — among the oldest living organisms on Earth), and a small alpine glacier make this one of the most compact and varied national parks in the West. The park receives fewer visitors than any other in the lower 48 — crowds are rarely an issue.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
15 miles west of Las Vegas — 3,000-foot red and cream Aztec Sandstone escarpment rising from the Mojave Desert. The 13-mile scenic loop drive, excellent rock climbing (world-class sport and traditional), and hiking trails through Joshua tree-studded desert draw millions of visitors who use Las Vegas as a base. Calico Hills, the Calico Basin, and the La Madre Spring trail system are highlights.

Lake Tahoe (Nevada side)
The east shore of Lake Tahoe — Sand Harbor State Park (the most beautiful beach on Tahoe), Spooner Summit, and the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park — offers quieter access to the lake than the California side. The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor amphitheater is a summer highlight.

Valley of Fire State Park
Nevada's oldest state park — a landscape of brilliant red Aztec Sandstone formations, petroglyphs left by the Ancestral Puebloans 2,000 years ago, and ancient petrified trees. The Beehives, the Fire Wave, and Elephant Rock are the most photogenic formations.