Wyndham Wisdom

Vegas, Naturally

Stray from the Strip to discover a whole other (non-neon) world

The best hot tub in Las Vegas is never crowded. You won't have to elbow your way through a bachelorette party or wander dazed between rows of slot machines to get to it. The pool, quiet save for the pattering of a small waterfall, is cradled between walls of undulating rock, and the after-hours view consists of black sky and bright stars. The water is hot enough to hurt when you first get in, but soon you'll never want to leave.

Okay, so the hot tub is actually hidden near the Colorado River, a ways from the Strip. Its spring waters are heated geothermally, and it's reached via kayak. First, you drive southeast for a half-hour to meet your guide or boat-rental company near Boulder City. Then continue 1,100 feet down a dirt road that switchbacks vertiginously to the river. The paddling adventure begins at the foot of Hoover Dam. Soon you're floating on emerald waters--fast-running but rapids-free--that snake through the rocky depths of Black Canyon. There are a half-dozen or more hot-springs pools along the 13-mile run, as well as riverside caves, Anasazi petroglyphs and elusive wildlife, such as bighorn sheep. The most scenic pool is a half-mile up a side canyon at Arizona Hot Springs Beach. Here you can even camp for the night, the sensory blitz of Las Vegas all but forgotten.

Visiting Vegas for outdoor recreation might seem touristically absurd, like traveling to New Jersey to ski. But the city that's famous for artifice--faux volcanoes, ersatz Venice--is also surrounded by some of the country's most striking landscapes. An hour's journey or less transports you to piney mountains, sprawling desert, red-rock pinnacles or the waters of the Colorado River or Lake Mead. You can hike, bike, paddle or simply take a scenic drive. The Vegas advantage--as opposed to pursuing these activities elsewhere--is that you can be back in town by dark, dining at a four-star restaurant and taking in a show. Here are some of the best outings.

DESERT CRUISING
The Black Canyon kayak trip previously mentioned typically ends at Willow Beach, followed by a shuttle ride back to Hoover Dam. From there you can return to your car and go north on Lakeside Drive for a view of Lake Mead--the repository for all the water the dam restrains, currently about four trillion gallons. That may sound like enough to bathe a good portion of the United States, but the reservoir is actually at less than 50 percent capacity due to a drought in the Southwest. Entire marinas have been abandoned, their docks too far from the receding shoreline; formerly submerged canyon walls now glow ruddily in the sun.

The views get spectacular when you pick up the National Scenic Byway that leads into the Valley of Fire, Nevada's oldest and largest state park. Sinuous blacktop winds through a landscape that looks sculpted from Neapolitan ice cream: rock arches, "beehives" and domes striped in shades of tan, pink, purple and red. The bizarre formations began 150 million years ago as sand dunes which then compacted, hardened into rock, and later splintered with geologic uplift and were shaped by erosion. Pull over to take pictures from Rainbow Vista, then continue a few miles to the end of the road and the start of the White Domes Trail. In just over a mile, the trail leads downhill between triangular fins of sandstone, before entering a slot canyon. For a short distance the rock on either side rises to 80 feet and presses so close together you can span it with your arms.

RED ROCKS BIKING
The natural side of Las Vegas is almost impossible to imagine as you cruise the Strip, but all it takes is a left turn on West Charleston Boulevard. In a half-hour you've reached the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 200,000-acre retreat whose towers cause way more jaw-dropping than those skyscrapers back in town. Where the Valley of Fire is intricate and intimate, Red Rock is soaring and grand. Rising above its scrubby desert and bulbous rock are peaks that top out above 8,000 feet. Climbers come from around the world to scale red Navajo sandstone that juts into blue sky, and tackle more than 30 miles of trails.

The most popular, or at least most visible, activity is done on two wheels. Vegas is bike-geek heaven. A weekend morning in Red Rock could be mistaken for a stateside leg of the Tour de France, with dozens of Lycra-clad riders whizzing by every minute. To join them, rent a bike on your way out of town and try the 13-mile scenic drive. While the one-way loop road is open to cars, there aren't many to be seen, and drivers give bikers a respectful berth. The route passes through sculpted-rock scenery, gradually climbing 1,000 feet, then offering a thrilling, curvy return to the visitor center.

For a more rugged experience, drive about eight miles south to Blue Diamond, a tree-shaded hamlet of roughly 400 residents. This former watering stop on the Old Spanish Trail has no neon and practically no services except for McGhie's Bike Outpost. Rent quality mountain bikes here--the trails start just a few yards away. While this beautiful swath of Mojave Desert isn't part of the National Conservation Area, it looks like typical Red Rocks scenery. You'll climb rolling hills and swoop through sandy arroyos past creosote bushes, cacti and the odd, bushy Joshua trees that look as if they were dreamed up by Dr. Seuss.

ALL-NATURAL AIR-CONDITIONING
After a few over stimulating days of card games, Kobe beef and pomegranate martinis, almost every Vegas visitor is struck by the feeling: I need. To get. Out. The desert heat, which can top 100 degrees spring through fall, fuels the urge. But the mercury drops a degree or more every mile as you escape to the heights of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, northwest of the city. By the time you park at a trailhead, the temperature is a refreshing 70 degrees, the air pine-scented and pure. Less than an hour from downtown, hikers can climb major peaks, most notably scenic Mount Charleston (elevation 11,918 feet).

For an equally beautiful but shorter walk (Charleston requires a full day), try the six-mile Bristlecone Trail. After all the khaki colors in the surrounding desert, your eyes will drink in the abundant greens of fir and aspen along with the gray of tabletop granite massifs. This is a "sky island," the isolated remnant of a much larger ecosystem from thousands of years ago, before the region became so hot and dry. The Bristlecone Trail reaches a high point of 9,400 feet with expansive vistas. Beyond a forested ridgeline to the east lies Las Vegas--somewhere down there. But there's no need to hurry back.

PLAY

KAYAKING
Boulder City Outfitters leads paddling trips through Black Canyon, providing food, equipment, permits and shuttles. 702-293-1190; bouldercityoutfitters.com; $165 for a daylong trip.

DRIVING
From I-15 north of Las Vegas, take exit 75 to reach Valley of Fire State Park. Rainbow Vista and the trailhead for the slot canyon hike are on the White Domes Road. 702-397-2088; parks.nv.gov; admission $6 per vehicle

BIKING
The scenic loop in the Red Rock National Conservation Area begins about five miles west of Rte. 215 on Rte. 159. 702-515-5050; blm.gov; admission $5 per vehicle Rent road bikes on your way out of town at Las Vegas Cyclery. 8221 W. Charleston Blvd.; 702-596-2953; lasvegascyclery.com; $55 per day. For mountain biking around Blue Diamond, visit McGhie's Bike Outpost. 16 Cottonwood Dr., Blue Diamond; 702-875-4820; bikeoutpost.com

HIKING
The Bristlecone Trail in Spring Mountains National Recreation Area departs from the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort at the end of Rte. 156. 702-515-5400

STAY

RCI-AFFILIATED RESORTS IN LAS VEGAS INCLUDE:

CARRIAGE HOUSE RESORT

GRANDVIEW AT LAS VEGAS

THE CLIFFS AT PEACE CANYON

WYNDHAM GRAND DESERT

For more information, visit RCI.com or call
Weeks: 800-338-7777
Points: 877-968-7476

NON-RCI-AFFILIATED RESORTS:

THE PALAZZO
The newest mega-resort on the Strip.
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 877-883-6423;
palazzolasvegas.com; doubles from $199

MONTE CARLO
Best mid-price option on the Strip.
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 888-529-4828;
montecarlo.com; doubles from $80

BELLAGIO LAS VEGAS
Ultra-sophisticated. Don't miss the
"water ballet" out front.
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 888-987-6667;
bellagio.com; doubles from $209

WYNN LAS VEGAS
22 restaurants, 2,716 rooms and a
35,000-square-foot spa.
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 877-321-9966;
wynnlasvegas.com; doubles from $199

RED ROCKS CASINO RESORT & SPA
A 816-room luxury property, in sight of
Red Rock Canyon.
11011 W. Charleston Blvd.; 866-767-7773;
redrocklasvegas.com; doubles from $140

BOULDER DAM HOTEL
A historic hotel; convenient for the
night before a Colorado River trip.
1305 Arizona St., Boulder City;
702-293-3510; boulderdamhotel.com;
doubles from $79

EAT

BARTOLOTTA
Excellent Mediterranean seafood at an
award-winning restaurant.
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.(at the Wynn);
702-248-3463; dinner for two, $150*

BUZZ BBQ
Slow-smoked, thick-sliced beef brisket
so tender you can split it with a plastic
fork. Great for lunch or dinner.
7810 W. Ann Rd.; 702-294-2899;
lunch for two, $30

CARNEVINO ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE
Mario Batali's new place serves up
Italian classics like spaghetti ai frutti
di mare and seriously tender steak.
3265 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (at the Palazzo);
702-789-4141; dinner for two, $200

LINDO MICHOACAN
Go for a post-Red Rocks fuel-up: chili
Colorado, carne asada, even carnitas
braised in Coca-Cola.
10082 W. Flamingo Rd.; 702-838-9990;
lunch for two, $40

*Prices cover a three-course meal for two, not including drinks, tax or tip.

Published: Endless Vacation May/June 2008 Issue