Most trips to Nevada are trips to Las Vegas, and the city has its own page with the shows, the Strip and the day trips to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Grand Canyon West. Las Vegas is also the airport for the big parks next door: Death Valley in California, Zion and Bryce Canyon in Utah, and the Grand Canyon's South Rim in Arizona.
The rest of the state is high desert, long empty basins between mountain ranges, and this page adds three trips worth the distance: the ranger-led tours of Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park, near the Utah border; Sand Harbor, on the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe; and Virginia City, the silver-mining town near Reno where Mark Twain first signed with that name.
Take a ranger tour through Lehman Caves in Great Basin
Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, Baker
60 to 90 minutes in the caveTimed entry
Nevada's longest cave system, open only on ranger-led tours, in a national park that charges no entry.
What it is
Great Basin National Park sits on Nevada's eastern edge by the village of Baker, 286 miles from Las Vegas, and its best-known sight is underground. Lehman Caves, the longest cave system in the state, can only be entered on a ranger-led tour. The Grand Palace Tour, 90 minutes and 0.6 miles, covers the whole developed route; the Lodge Room Tour takes 60 minutes.
How to do it
In 2026 they cost $15 and $12 for adults. Groups are capped at 20 and regularly sell out, so book on Recreation.gov and check in 15 minutes early. Entry to the park is free. In summer, add the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, 12 miles of paved road climbing past 10,000 feet.
Good to know
No bags, food or drink go into the cave, which stays at 52°F all year, so bring a layer.
Swim among the granite boulders of Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoe
Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Incline Village
Half a dayTimed entry
Gently sloping beaches, clear water and rounded granite boulders to swim, paddle or snorkel among on Lake Tahoe's east shore.
What it is
Sand Harbor, in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park on the lake's east shore just south of Incline Village, has gently sloping beaches, clear water and rounded granite boulders. In summer, swim, paddle or snorkel among the rocks: Clearly Tahoe rents kayaks and paddleboards in season, and the beach patrol is on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In July and August, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival plays here.
How to do it
The hard part is getting in. From 15 May to 30 September, driving in between 8 and 10:30 am needs a day-use reservation on ReserveNevada, which cannot be made at the gate, and the lots fill; parking or dropping off on Highway 28 is not allowed. Entry is $10 per vehicle, $15 with out-of-state plates.
Good to know
Or leave the car: the paved 3-mile Tahoe East Shore Trail from Incline Village enters without a reservation.
Ride the old railroad from the silver town of Virginia City
Virginia City, Storey County
Half a day from RenoNo booking needed
A silver boomtown that passed 25,000 people in the 1870s, where Mark Twain first signed himself Mark Twain.
What it is
Virginia City boomed after the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859 and passed 25,000 people in the 1870s; fewer than 800 live there now, in a town that has been a National Historic Landmark District since 1961. Mark Twain worked here as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise and first signed himself Mark Twain in February 1863.
How to do it
It sits on Highway 341, about 24 miles southeast of Reno. Walk C Street, the main street, then look for Piper's Opera House, rebuilt after the fire of 1875, and the four-storey Fourth Ward School of 1876. The Virginia & Truckee runs a 35-minute round trip from the 1870 depot to Gold Hill, with seven departures a day from Memorial Day weekend through October.
Good to know
You can get off at Gold Hill and come back on a later train, except on the last one.
For a first trip, make Las Vegas the base: three or four days for the city and its day trips. Most visitors then drive on to the national parks across the state lines rather than deeper into Nevada. The north is a separate trip: fly into Reno-Tahoe International for Lake Tahoe's Nevada shore and for Virginia City, about 24 miles southeast of Reno. Great Basin National Park, in the east, is 286 miles from Las Vegas and 234 from Salt Lake City, so it fits a road trip between the two.
How to combine them
From Las Vegas, Furnace Creek in Death Valley is about 120 miles and two hours away via Pahrump, and Zion's visitor center 163 miles up I-15, about two and a half hours. The classic loop runs Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon's South Rim and back: Bryce is about 270 miles from Las Vegas, and the South Rim 278 miles via Kingman and Williams. Utah runs on Mountain Time, an hour ahead of Las Vegas. Arizona keeps the same time all year, so it matches Las Vegas from March to early November and is an hour ahead in winter.
Park fees and passes
Since 1 January 2026, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay a $100 surcharge on top of the entrance fee at Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon, unless they hold the $250 nonresident annual pass. Death Valley charges $30 per vehicle with no surcharge, and Great Basin charges no entrance fee at all. Nevada's state parks, such as Valley of Fire and Sand Harbor, charge per vehicle, more for cars registered outside Nevada. Grand Canyon West is run by the Hualapai Tribe and paid for separately.
When to go
Las Vegas and the desert parks are at their best from October to April: in July Las Vegas averages a high of 104.5°F, and Valley of Fire closes many trails from 15 May to 30 September. Death Valley's season runs from November to March. The north works the other way round: Sand Harbor is a summer beach, with vehicle reservations from 15 May to 30 September, and Great Basin's Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is usually open all the way only from Memorial Day weekend until the snow. Lehman Caves tours run all year, with the cave at 52°F.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best road trip from Las Vegas?
In must30's view, the loop through Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon's South Rim: Zion is about two and a half hours up I-15, Bryce lies beyond it, and the South Rim is 278 miles from Las Vegas via Kingman and Williams. Allow at least a week. Death Valley, about two hours west, is a shorter trip for November to March.
How do you get to Lake Tahoe from Las Vegas?
Lake Tahoe is at the other end of Nevada, so most people fly from Las Vegas to Reno-Tahoe International. Reno lies about 22 miles northeast of the lake, and Sand Harbor is on the Nevada shore just south of Incline Village. Virginia City, about 24 miles southeast of Reno, fits the same trip.
Do you need a reservation for Lehman Caves?
In practice, yes. Tours take 20 people at most, regularly sell out and are booked on Recreation.gov; walk-up tickets are offered only when staffing allows and often go within the first hour. Great Basin National Park itself charges no entrance fee.
Which national parks near Las Vegas charge the $100 nonresident fee?
In 2026, Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon are on the list of 11 parks where non-US residents aged 16 and over pay $100 on top of the entrance fee. Death Valley and Great Basin are not. The $250 nonresident annual pass covers the surcharge.
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