Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Red Rock Canyon is the desert Las Vegas keeps 30 minutes from the Strip: a 13-mile one-way scenic loop through rust-red sandstone escarpments, with trailheads for everything from ten-minute overlook strolls to serious canyon scrambles. Entry costs $20 per vehicle (not per person) - $10 motorcycles, $8 bicycles, $5 walk-ins - and the federal America the Beautiful pass is accepted. The fee covers the drive, every trailhead, the visitor center and picnic areas for the day.

The two planning facts that trip people up: first, from October 1 through May 31 a timed-entry reservation on Recreation.gov is required to enter the drive between 8 AM and 5 PM. Slots open 30 days ahead, cost $2 on top of the entrance fee, and go early on cool-season weekends. June through September needs no reservation, but brings 100°F-plus heat to a shadeless landscape. Second, the loop is one-way: once you're on it, you're committed to all 13 miles. The drive alone takes 45 minutes; most visitors spend two to four hours with pullouts and short walks. No transit reaches the entrance - it's a car or a guided tour - and cell service inside is spotty, so download your map first.