Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, a Cerca Country Guide," and "Basecamp Las Vegas: Hiking the Southwestern States," published by Stephens Press. Email: deborabus@aol.com
Just east of the Sierra Nevada range, near the small tourist town of Lee Vining, Calif., is one of the most unusual bodies of water you’ll ever visit. Mono Lake is one of the oldest in North America and has no outlet, and for that reason, mineral salts have become so concentrated in the lake that fish cannot live in it. These high concentrations combined with other local conditions to form towers of rock tufa, extending high above the water surface and are equally beloved by birds and photographers.
With the arrival of warm weather and school almost out, this is the time to think about a summer visit to the cooler climates of Northern Nevada. One of the most stunning areas you can visit lies just east of Elko: the Ruby Mountains.
Hackberry Canyon in the southwestern section of the 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument remains so enchantingly unspoiled it’s easy to forget you’re in the 21st century. And that’s the point of going there. While the hike is quite remote, the reward is a stunning narrow canyon, carved by a perennial stream, flanked by lush vegetation. If you go right now, there are also wildflowers.
Lincoln County, our nearest neighboring county to the north, is rich in sites where you can see unspoiled petroglyphs, the mysterious rock carvings that have graced cliffs and boulders since prehistoric times. Two of my favorite sites in that area are the White River Narrows Archaeological District and the Mt. Irish Rock Art and Archaeological District, both located off of state Route 318, north of Alamo and Hiko.
Angels Landing in Zion National Park, Utah, is a viewpoint atop a giant red sandstone monolith, offering one of the best panoramic views in the park, which is to say one of the best in the American West. The 5-mile round-trip hike to Angels Landing is famous among hikers throughout the world, mostly because it is one scary trail, especially in the last bone-chilling half-mile. If this hike is on your bucket list, it’s good to do it in spring, after the sun has melted any ice that might have made the path slick and before summer brings the year’s largest crowds to the park and hot temperatures.
Black Canyon National Water Trail in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is one of only 16 national water trails in the United States and the first one in the Southwest. Designated last year, this Colorado River corridor stretches from Hoover Dam about 30 miles downstream to Lake Mojave.
Many of the treasures offered by the 1.6 million-acre Mojave National Preserve can be found only by traveling on remote gravel roads. One such destination is Fort Piute in the extreme eastern region of the park.
With the Pacific Ocean, tons of sun, mild temperatures and an unlimited amount of outdoor activities in which to take part, San Diego makes an ideal destination for a short family trip. Or perhaps a romantic one.
We skiers and snowboarders dwelling in Southern Nevada mostly haunt our beloved and handy Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort. But sometimes we want a change of slopes and scenery for just a few days. One of the best getaways for that purpose is the Arizona Snowbowl near Flagstaff. It’s not only close enough for easy access but also has the advantage of excellent nearby nightlife.
Temple Bar is only an hour and a half or so from Las Vegas, yet somehow has remained underutilized, if not undiscovered, by most of the city’s outdoor lovers. That reason alone would recommend it as an especially relaxing getaway destination, but there are plenty of other reasons.
Lake Havasu City, Ariz., makes a great weekend getaway this time of year. During February, you’ll get to choose from an abundance of outdoor activities, including some of the city’s most popular annual events. And you’ll enjoy temperatures a little warmer than in Las Vegas — pleasant for wintertime.
One way to beat the January blues is by taking a day trip to nearby Death Valley National Park, Calif. Depending on where you live in the Las Vegas Valley, you can be at the hub of the park, Furnace Creek, in 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Careful as you may be in choosing Christmas gifts for your children, it’s a rare gift that won’t eventually be broken, outgrown or worn out. But good memories can last a lifetime, and those few days after Christmas morning, but before school resumes, offer an unparalleled opportunity to build those memories along the trails of Southern Nevada
For some reason doubtless buried in our prehistoric past, most humans find volcanos interesting, as long as they’re not spewing molten rock and poison gas. If you’d like to visit one that has behaved itself for about 10,000 years but still shows the interesting geologic features acquired in its flaming youth, Amboy Crater makes a fine day trip this time of year. The temperature will be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the same day in Las Vegas, and the route I suggest will take you through the Mojave National Preserve, an agreeable place in early winter.
Visitors flock from all over the world to see Bryce Canyon National Park’s natural amphitheaters filled with pinnacles, spires and the spooky limestone formations called hoodoos. They mostly come in the agreeable high-country summer, yet some claim winter is the best time. Though Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate with the gift of snowfall, when she does, it makes every detail of this colorful landscape seem to pop out of the white background like a watercolor by an expert artist.
