The 101 free maps listed below were hand-built by Tom Herbertson, based on the driving directions provided by Deborah Wall in her book Base Camp Las Vegas: 101 Hikes in the Southwest published by Imbrifex Books in Read More
Category: Featured
Cool Summer Hikes in the Southwest
During the summer months the Southwest is generally too hot to comfortably hike its trails or camp in its back country. But like most generalizations, this one has exceptions Read More
A Hiking Gift for You
Summertime is upon us and perhaps now is the time to get out there. Although we recommend that you go early in the morning, or choose one of the higher altitude hikes in this brand new book.
Photo by Deborah Wall
Situated in the heart of the magnificent Southwest, Las Vegas is surrounded by spectacular natural landscapes. Within easy reach are five national parks, including Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. Dozens of state parks, regional preserves, recreation areas, and public lands offer amazing variety, from sand dunes and salt flats to alpine meadows, waterfalls, and ancient forests. Unique plant and animal life as well as archaeology, paleontology, and fascinating Wild West history are all waiting to be discovered in this region, making Las Vegas an ideal basecamp: Hikers can enjoy solitude and unspoiled wilderness by day and world-class urban amenities by night. Base Camp Las Vegas includes 101 of the best hiking destinations within hours of Las Vegas. The author has hiked each of the 101 featured routes more than once, and she describes each in detail, including route, elevations, terrain, flora & fauna, and historical details. She notes the best season for enjoying each one, what to wear, and what to take along. She describes any hazards or inconveniences that hikers might encounter and rates the difficulty of each hike from easy to strenuous. She’s also included an easy-reference guide to the top five hikes in a variety of categories including birdwatching, stargazing, wildflowers, wetlands, kid and teen favorites, most strenuous, and most remote. Base Camp Las Vegas tells hikers where and when to go–and also how to prepare–to enjoy the best trails this unparalleled region has to offer.
Online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie-Bound and Google Play (ebook) will begin shipping these books to customers starting around July 31st.
And don’t forget the book launch party in Las Vegas on August 9th. https://basecampguides.com/2017/06/30/book-launch-party-august-9th/
Well Thought Out and Useful Guide — Book Review
I have to admit that I have a whole shelf full of guide books for hiking and have used them with varying degrees of satisfaction. So when I saw Read More
Five Great Kid-Friendly Hikes near Las Vegas
All around Las Vegas lie areas of breathtaking natural beauty, offering families with young children the easy opportunity to explore unspoiled wilderness Read More
Junior Ranger Program, for children of ALL ages
The Junior Ranger motto is “Explore, Learn and Protect!” This program is one of the park system’s best ideas to get children interested in, and educated about, our national parks, recreation and conservation areas, and other public lands. What few may know is that there is no age restriction of any kind on this program. Read More
Fiery Red Sandstone Cliffs at Valley of Fire
Only an hour’s drive north of Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park makes a great day-trip destination. The park includes some of Southern Nevada’s most colorful landscapes of fiery red sandstone, sculpted by millions of years of erosion and geologic events. It is Nevada’s largest state park, at 42,000 acres, and also the oldest, established in 1935. Read More
Be in the Know, Local Lingo
Newcomers to the desert Southwest are often puzzled by the lingo — er, terminology — used by longtime resident to describe the local terrain. Like other regions of the country, we have coined or adopted exotic words describing features which may not be so common elsewhere. Read More
Death Valley, an Exhilarating Day trip
Seeing Death Valley is an experience on many a bucket list, yet often goes unfulfilled. It shouldn’t, because one can pack several of its highlights into one exhilarating day, yet get back to Las Vegas in time for dinner. Read More
Singing Dunes Offer Solitude
There is something particularly appealing about sitting on the summit of a remote sand dune, especially at sunrise or sunset.
While there are many places in our desert southwest to do this, if you seek solitude, it is best to choose those that are closed to Off-Highway Vehicles, (OHVs), horses and sandboarders. The three that stand out to me lie within a day’s drive of Las Vegas, in Eastern California. They are Eureka and Panamint Dunes in Death Valley National Park, and Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve. Read More
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