Las Vegas ft. Death Valley National Park
- Apr 1
- 21 min read
Updated: Apr 14
This is our third trip to the glitzy city of Las Vegas. We had spent Christmas & New Years here in 2023. I don't recall much of our first time here but I believe it was somewhere in the mid 90's, a span of over 25 years in between! Here are some memorabilia left from our 90's visit.
We visited Death Valley NP for the very first time on our second trip and I have to say it was quite a jaw-dropping experience. The word death might denote a place to avoid entirely, but rest assured, its a place of beauty. The mountains and hills are vividly colorful like something out of a postcard. Death Valley is created by extensional forces pulling the earth's crust apart. This stretching creates basins and mountain ranges, which can be clearly seen as one flies over the desert.
Day 1 - Kailua-Kona to HNL to LV
Flying out of Kailua-Kona gave us the unique opportunity to see our voggish sunset from the air.
Our original flight from Kailua-Kona to HNL was rescheduled to a much later time, and if we had taken it we would have missed our next flight out to Vegas. So we had to take an earlier flight and that gave us a 3-hour layover in Honolulu. Good thing we had access to the Plumeria Lounge. This flight to Harry Reid International was serviced by Hawaiian Air's A330 with one first class meal.
The night lights over Honolulu city from the air is always an enjoyable sight. It was a pretty short flight, though bumpy at first. Soon we were watching the sun rise over the Californian desert. Here is a short video as we passed above Avawatz Mountains in the Mojave Desert, just at the border between California and Nevada.
Prior to landing, we passed over many suburbs, with snow-capped Mount Charleston looming in the background. We got in just in time for sunrise golden hour!
There weren't as many travelers. Maybe it was just too early or maybe folks were cutting back on travelling.
We then headed to the car rental terminal and pick up a brand new BMW X6 410 Xdrive. It is an all wheel drive crossover. Hopefully it will perform well in the desert.
This time we chose to stay south of Las Vegas in a little suburb called Henderson. All the houses look the same here. Just row after rows of them. Its good to see that most folks can afford a single family home. Once we checked in and unpacked, we were of course hungry again! So this time we tried a place called Pho Saigonese. It was a pretty hip spot with nice décor and some pretty tasty eats. We tried their Bun Bo Hue, Hoi An Chicken Rice and Popiah. All good. We certainly would be coming back here - but there are just so many more to try!
After lunch we made our way to Nellis Airforce base to check out the preparations for the Aviation Nation Air Show starting tomorrow. We drove around the perimeter and saw that there was a lot of construction along the main roads around the airbase. Regardless, we drove till we came to the back south fence of the runway. Here we found many folks with huge zoom lenses looking for the opportunity to catch a jet in practice. It was a bit surreal as this area was filled with trash and junked cars with homeless folks milling around. Then right next to them were Mercedes and BMW vehicles with folks with expensive cameras. What a contrast.
Las Vegas is truly an interesting place. Most of it are clean new cars, large single family homes and a thriving economy. But as with any city in the USA, it has its black spots too.
By this time we were so tired. Since we did not get much sleep on the flight over, we decided to take it easy and head back to the house to relax. Our last stop for the day was at the Penang Hawker Malaysian restaurant in Paradise. Great way to end the day with a nice bowl of Kari Mee!
Day 2 - Mojave National Preserve
We started our drive to Mojave Desert Preserve at 6 a.m. sharp as we wanted to avoid the midday sun. Along the way we passed the a town called Primm. Here there were large solar concentrators. An old technology that is now being sunset by solar panels. The second life for these reflective panels seems to be as shiny monoliths on obscure trails(!)
We arrived at Mojave National Preserve in less than 2 hours, with the ambient temperature hovering at around 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The hike to the Kelso Dunes is quite straight forward. We just headed straight up until we crested one of the hills. The dunes are quite amazing; with views as far as the eyes can see.
Although relatively short at 3 miles, it was a good exercise with the loose footing and sliding sands. Click here to see the video of our hike up to the tallest dune at Kelso. At the top the wind started to kick up pretty strong. It was calm and then before we knew it we were in a sand storm!
Amazingly there are many animals that live on the dunes and in the desert. Although we only saw a few, we also saw many interesting tracks.
Of course there were interesting human ones too!
From the dunes, we could see many surrounding hills and the snow capped Sierras in the distance. Additionally, on our way out of Mojave towards Baker we also saw some familiar sights - cones! Much of Mojave actually includes large lava fields and cones.
Soon we were on our way out of Mojave to a small town called Baker. The road from Kelso to Baker is super straight. In fact many of the main paved roads in Mojave at just like this.
Once we reached Baker, we had to drive by the tallest thermometer. Many years ago we drove this way from LA to Las Vegas. Back then, they already had this tourist attraction, but we didn't stop to look. In fact Baker now also has another attraction called Alien Jerky. It too was a blast to visit.
Our drive back along Interstate 15 was uneventful. We made it back to Las Vegas and were by then pretty hungry. So we decided to pay a visit to a new restaurant called the Pan-Asian-Thai-Sri Lankan Cuisine. We tried their Curry and Rice plate. The food was like Nasi Kandar! A bit on the spicy side but it was really good. A great way to end the day.
Day 3 - Hiking Dante's Peak To Mount Perry
Again, we started our day early at 6 a.m. and drove 2 hours to Death Valley National Park. We took the north entrance from Highway 95, heading south on 373, to connect to 190 at the Death Valley Junction.
Highway 95 is a speed highway over a vast open landscape with mountains in the distance. Once you turn off at Amargosa Valley onto Hwy 373, its a smattering of ranches and large sculptures of animals... Not to mention the Area 51 Alien references... I guess its to make the already very monotonous landscape a little more interesting!
The order of the day was to summit Mount Perry from Dante's View parking lot. That meant that we would have to hike 8.4 miles in total over the roller coasting ridge of Dante's, while gaining approximately over 2,000 feet in elevation. From just a glance of Mount Perry from the first high point, Dante's Peak, it seemed to look like a torturing hike; more so if the weather is hot and dry. The good thing was that the ambient temperature was in the mid 60s Fahrenheit when we started our hike.
Mount Perry has a bit of a flat top, that isn't so flat. From its first false peak to the actual peak is about four rolling hills for another 200 feet in elevation.
Our target was to turn around at the base hill just before the big climb to the top. But when we reached the base, we were still feeling pretty good and therefore, decided to climb up to the first false peak. This is a steep and rocky section with some rock scrambling and drop-offs.
We reached the false peak (our turnaround point) in about 2 hours, but the return was pulling on our minds as it is even more tedious. We will have to climb down and back up all the hills we climbed on the way here with less energy and with the late afternoon sun beating down on us!
The return climb back up to Dante's Peak was a real test of using the rest step. Alas, we made it back to the car park dead tired, in death valley; thankfully no funeral needed... Just before we reached our car at Dante's View Point there were some tourists just hiking to Dante's peak and they were already struggling. The late afternoon sun at 80+ degrees was already brutal enough for the regular tourist. This hike had to be one of the best hikes we have ever done in a U.S. National Park.
Here is the link to the hike video.
On our way back we drove the southern route on Hwy 160 through Pahrump. There were many "for sale" signs along the desert road. It looked like Pahrump was expanding as there were also many new housing construction in the area starting at about $400K for single family homes. Not cheap for a place so isolated. Nonetheless it was a very nice sunset lighting of the mountains as we drove back to Las Vegas.
Our last stop before the end of the day was at Pho Saigonese. Although to go, the food was really good. Have to say the best Vietnamese food in Las Vegas thus far. Yet another great end to a tiring but wonderful day.
Day 4 - Ubehebe (U-Bee-Hee-Bee) Craters, Death Valley National Park
We started our day by having Dim Sum and Wonton Noodle Soup at Yum Cha. We had the customary Siew Mai, Har Gau and BBQ Pork baked bau. The food was hearty and very satisfying.
When planning our activities for the day, we had reviewed the National Park map for Death Valley, and found that we really haven't seen very much of the park. It is the largest in the 48 lower states and it certainly felt like it. From the top of Mount Perry we could see no end to the valley to the north and to the south. So today we decided to return to Death Valley but to visit the furthest north section of the park.
We decided to travel Hwy 95 again, and this time stopped at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. It is incredible to think that this was once a wetland. Fossils in the dry beds show a thriving wetland many millions of years ago. Today only the tortoises remain.
This time our turn off to Death Valley was at a small outpost town called Beaty. It has the usual truck stops, large billboards, and the dry countryside dust filled streets. Just before Beatty there was also what looked like a large cinder cone being mined. Mining was one of Beatty's main industries but that has sunset along with the closing of several underground mines. Today, Beatty is also known as the gateway to Death Valley, with tourism and military being its main economic activities.
From Beatty we make the left turn onto Hwy 374 and into the neighboring valley. Here Hwy 374 crosses the flat plain of Amargosa Valley. The road seems to stretch on for miles as trying to gauge the distances proved difficult. It may seem close but it is relatively far.
Before getting into Death Valley we stopped at the small ghost town called Rhyolite. This used to be a mining community with an active train station. With the closure of the mines it became yet another ghost town. Curiously, there is a free museum that showcases white ghost sculptures.
We finally cross the state line into California as we passed the customary national park sign.
Here we climb up the Grapevine range through the Daylight Pass and into Death Valley. Unfortunately, the connecting road from the park's check in station through Mud Canyon was closed due to repairs being made from the time of the great flash floods on August 20, 2023. So we had to make the long drive down to Hwy 190 (the main road in Death Valley) then back up on the North Hwy to get to Ubehebe.
This long drive through the park afforded us with great views of the park from the north with many colorful mountains along the way.
After a 38 mile drive from Hwy 190 along the North Hwy, we finally arrive at Ubehebe. What's unique about this crater is that it is only about 2,000 years old, while the rest of the valley is millions of years old. It is also interesting in that it is considered an explosive crater. So its not like a regular cinder cone in which magma builds upwards from the floor. This one was caused by water seeping into the magma chamber, causing a large explosion up and outwards. Its blast radius was more than 6 miles wide. Today Ubehebe has a collection of craters that one can walk around.
See the following video for summary of our hike around the area.
Amazingly things do grow in this desolate place. There were signs of flowering plants and a raven!
Ubehebe and the surrounding geology really started to shine as the sun set. Its true colors emerged with stunning golden and orange hues. I can fully understand why Death Valley is a geologist paradise.
Our drive back from Death Valley to Las Vegas was dark and uneventful. Too bad we did not see any night animals. One our way back we stopped at Pho Kim Long - a trendy Vietnamese restaurant and bar in the Town Square Shopping Center off Interstate 15 and Hwy 215. The food was OK. Nothing special nor bad.
Day 5 - Fontainebleu & Spring Mountain
We started the day later as we stayed in and rested our weary bodies from the last 3 hikes on consecutive days. So we decided to take it easy and to roam around the north side of the Las Vegas Strip. Of course we had to visit like a local by parking for free at Circus Circus.
It’s one of only two hotels that offer all day free visitor parking. This hotel is 56 years old and it’s one of the last of the original hotels on the strip. But man, we got lost just walking through it! By design it’s meant to keep you trapped within its floors. You can never get out… and they still have the classic mechanical slot machines!
We headed down to Resorts World to try out the famous Claypot Rice at the Famous Foods Street Eats.
We both ordered the same thing- with chicken. The portion was so big, but a tad on the dry side as I tried to compare it to the ones I have had a long time ago back in Malaysia or Singapore. Overall, it was satisfactory.
After our hearty meal, we walked over to the newest resort on the Strip - Fontainebleu.
Our first impression was it's fine details and workmanship of the interior. High ceilings, marble and impressive art.
It certainly was very impressive and luxurious.
Just opposite this impressive new resort is the old. Such a contrast. 97 cents bottled water and $5 T-Shirts. Also, a now defunct bungee jumping platform and cheap motels. I guess there is choice for the <$50 per night to the >$300 per night right next door to each other!
After having our fill of the north end we decided to take an exploratory drive up to Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountain Natural Recreation Area. We were planning to do a hike here as the temperature in Las Vegas soars to above 90 degrees F.
It was a beautiful drive as the landscape changes from the stark, flat and dry to the mountainous and snowy pine tree covered hills. It reminded us of Yosemite or British Columbia but with less water.
We found that many of the areas were actually closed due to repairs still needed from the 2023 storms. Cathedral Rock and the south side of Mount Charleston seams to have been most damaged. Even Lee Canyon was closed. But at least we found that the north loop area is open.
Having scouted the area we definitely knew we had to come back to hike. Its amazing how much cooler and different this place is; yet it was only 50 minutes outside of Las Vegas.
On our way back we stopped at Pho Thanh; a place that we had previously visited during our last trip to Las Vegas. We had to have their Crispy Chicken Rice plate and their Bun Bo Hue.
After that hearty meal we decided to go look for the perfect spot for a night shot of the Las Vegas skyline. We knew that there was a place called Sunrise that was at the base of Frenchman's Peak. It was said to have one of the best views of the strip at night. As we drove up, we saw that it was a place that you had to get down to hike to, even though there were some views from the road. However, playing it safe, we decided not to join the many folks hanging out at Sunrise, but instead opted to drive a little south and into the housing area next door called Baro Canyon. The views from here were exquisite.
Day 6 - Mount Charleston North Loop Trail to the Raintree
Our day started with having brunch at another Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown also called Pho Kim Long. It was a pretty large and it looked more like a Chinese Restaurant. We tried their Bun Bo Hue and something different in the dry Wonton Noodle. The food here was pretty good. But then we haven't found a really bad restaurant as yet.
Having scouted the Spring Mountain Natural Recreation Area the day before, we decided to return to Spring Mountain Natural Recreation Area to hike the North Loop Trail up to the Raintree. The Raintree is a Bristlecone that is over 5,000 years old. It is the oldest Bristlecone in all of Nevada.
The hike is approximately 5.6 miles out and back with approximately 1788 feet of elevation gain. It took us about 4 hours to complete. Most of the trail was uphill along switched backed hills dotted with pines and bristlecones.
What really slowed us down on the trail were the sections with lots of snow especially along the eastern facing slopes. In one section it was pretty deep with post-holing up to my knees! See the following video for a summary of our hike.
The Bristlecone trees in the area were just amazing, not to mention the expansive views of Mount Charleston, Fletcher Peak and Mummy Mountain. We could even see Las Vegas from the top. This is a great place to go hiking, with challenging as well as shorter more family friendly hikes throughout the area.
The only wildlife that we saw in the area were birds. Here is one that we managed to but just fleetingly managed to catch.
We were pretty knackerred by the time we completed the hike. Nice to know that there was a hot tub waiting at the house for us to jump in! But before that we stopped to pick up our dinner from Pho Saigonese. Have to say that this is the best Vietnamese food that we have had. Tonight it was their Shaken Ribeye Beef on Rice, Popiah and Crispy Chicken Wings. We shall sleep well tonight!
Day 7 - Taking it Easy
Today we decided to not really do anything but rest up. So we slept in, did some laundry and watched the news. But soon we were hungry and had to get something to eat at around 9am. But nothing was really open except for the few places in Chinatown. Before we knew it, we were on our way to the Hong Kong Garden Seafood - Dim Sum Restaurant. This is a traditional Chinese restaurant with large round tables. There were already a few patrons; all having Dim Sum. We tried their Turnip Cake / Kuih Kak, Siew Mai, Har Gau, Wu Kok and Tan Tart.
The Kuih Kak was really good and tasty! The Siew Mai was pretty large and reminded us of the kind we get in Hawai’i as Pork Hash. The rest was so, so. The one thing we did notice in this area were the signs letting folks know not to leave things in the car and to beware of break-ins. We did not see any event, but its always better to be safe rather than sorry!
Having had our brunch we stopped for some Bambu drinks. We had the Ube Halo Halo and the Lychee Refresher. Really nice for a hot day with temperatures rising to 95 degrees F. We roamed about for a bit and visited the REI store in Summerlin.
Later in the afternoon we decided to drive down past Hoover Dam into Arizona to visit the Colorado River in Black Canyon. Along the way we passed through Boulder City and had to stop for some Coney dogs along the way!
When leaving Boulder City, the highway cuts through the hills to Lake Mead. Here we were afforded a great view of Lake Mead. Although it looks like the water level is low, it has actually recovered some over the last two years. Its a great place for boating, fishing and kayaking.
Once across the Hoover Dam Bridge, we crossed into Arizona. Here the landscape was vast and filled with rolling desert hills. The Colorado River is a definite respite from the heat. Below the dam, the Colorado River is calm and there are many Manila ducks along its shores. There weren't as many people in the area, though I believe it will be come busy as the temperatures rise.
The drive back to Las Vegas had us on I95 back up and past Lake Mead. Views along the highway were expansive yet bleak with a strong sun washing out most of the color.
On the return we stopped by Penang Hawker to pick up some Roti Prata with Chicken Curry, Chicken Satay, Fried Kuey Teow and Kuey Teow Siam/Seafood Hor Funn. We were very full from our Malaysian dinner, and were then ready to call it a night.
Although we didn’t do too much today, it was still good to see the Colorado River up close and it’s surrounding area.
Day 8 - Valley of Fire and Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Having rested the day before, we were ready for our hike in the Valley of Fire. We had done the White Domes Trail the last time we were here, so this time we wanted to try the Fire Wave Trail and the Seven Wonders Trail to make a loop. It is here that we can see the famous Fire Wave.
We left Las Vegas not too late nor too early in the morning. We just knew that we had to complete the hike before noon as the temperatures will climb over 90 degrees F.
The drive up along I-15 was uneventful and relatively quick. We made good time arriving at our destination trailhead by about 9:30am. There were some folks already here but nothing as busy as the last time we were here. The combo trail that we were doing isn't very long. Its only about 3 miles with less than 300 feet elevation gain. Having said that, there is little to no shade along the way, and at 9:30am it was already over 80 degrees F. We started our hike in earnest and dressed with "Arab" head gear to keep ourselves cool by making our own shade. The rocks here were amazing. With holes, arches and one spot for shade before the bare open range.
The landscape had all kinds of colors. From the deep red, and every shade in between to the green and yellows, to the light cream to white. Truly like an artist palette. But the trick is that one needs to come at sunrise or better yet at sunset to see it in its full glory. Thanks to HDR we managed to capture some of its grandeur.
We had seen these large buses on our way in and as we approach the junction with the White Domes Trail, we then understood that it wasn't tourists but rather it was a high school outing. There were easily more than 50 of them at the junction. We quickly left the noisy bunch behind as we made our loop back up to the trailhead. But this made us miss the originally planned route past the Fire Cave. Instead we traversed the bottom of White Domes past Crazy Hill to Thunderstorm Arch.
In all, it took us an hour and thirteen minutes to complete. See the following video for a summary of our hike. By the time we were done it was hot. The temperature was hovering just under 90 degrees F. Thankfully we still had lots of water and air conditioning in our car!
We then proceeded to drive through the Valley of Fire to visit the Fire Canyon view and Elephant rock. On the way we managed to capture at least two animals! The Big Horn and lizard. Both do not need much water at all.
There were many interesting features along the way, like the Seven Sisters. Its amazing how the limestone formed on top of the sandstone to create these magnificent stripes, and how water and wind have shaped the rocks. Truly amazing.
As we drove out of the park we the proceeded along Hwy 167 to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. This is approximately 43 miles of road within its wilderness along the western shores of Lake Mead. It is pretty isolated, except for the occasional side road heading down towards the lake. It was interesting to see as we drove down one of these to Echo Bay. The water levels of Lake Mead has been retreating, leaving the facility now much higher and further from the water's edge.
As we approach the southside of Lake Mead, there is a curious mountain feature that looks like a mountain with its top blown off. It features prominently across from the Sunset View. Not sure what it is called...
Our final stop for our drive today was Boulder City. Its a quaint town in the hills between Henderson and Hoover Dam. There were cute houses and old shops. This makes for an interesting drive through small town America. Apparently, this is the only place in Nevada where gambling is still illegal.
By this time Las Vegas had beat its prior record setting heat to set a new record at 95 degrees F. It certainly was hot, so we headed back and ended our day with yet another great meal (Shaken Rib Eye and Chicken Salad) from Pho Saigonese! This time with a Lychee Green Tea to cool off on.
Day 9 - Last Full Day & Red Rock Canyon Revisited
Being our last full day here in the Las Vegas area we decided to visit Mountain’s Edge - a very local suburban area off Hwy 160. This was a thriving community of gated single family homes built against the hilly backdrop of Red Rock Canyon. This is also home to the lighted hill hike of Exploration Park and to a single Vietnamese restaurant called The Pho Spot. Of course we decided to have our brunch here. The food was pretty good. We had the typical Beef Pho and Beef Stew w/ Baguette.
We then drove to Late Night Trail to see if we could see the Las Vegas skyline from here.
Instead we got to see a Gopher Snake sliding along the road!
From here we then drove through Red Rock Canyon. There were many people up and about - both tourists and locals. There were also many motorcyclist and bicyclists on the road as the weather was a comfy 78-80 degrees F with a good breeze blowing. Red Rock was still as pretty as ever. We could see Turtle Head and the many colorful rock formations.
We also drove round the back of Calico Basin and found many rock climbers along Red Spring.
There were also a few impressive homes that blended into the surroundings in this part of the valley. All this against the background of red rocks that makes up the Calico Hills.
Soon it was time for a Boba break. So we stopped by our favorite Boba Drinks & Dessert store for our customary Lychee Refresher with coco jelly and a Mango Slush. Very nice on a hot day!
As the sun was setting we made our way back to Las Begas Blvd for the customary night crawl along the strip. There we a lot of people out and about - taking in the sights. The area in front of the Bellagio was packed. Just as Fremont Street was too. Here is the video from our drive.
This trip we did not get to eat as much Malaysian food but we certainly had some pretty good Vietnamese food. So to top off the day, we revisited Pho Kim Long at Town Square. We tried the Salt & Pepper Wings, Chicken Lettuce Wrap and Bun Cha Gio. The vegetables are so nice and fresh!
Day 10 - Leaving Las Vegas, Welcome Home Hawaii
Our day started before dawn as we prepared to catch our 9am flight back to Hawaii. We did a quick stop for gas and soon we were at the Car Rental terminal waiting to catch the rental bus to Terminal 3. We were glad that we were not going to Terminal 1 as that was backed up waiting for buses to arrive. When the bus finally arrived it was a quick shuttle to the terminal. The lady bus driver was small but really strong as she singularly handled all the pretty large bags and golf bags up and into the bus racks!
At the airport the TSA lane was easy and efficient. The terminal was pretty quiet as we joked about riding the ghost train to the D gates. However, when we got to the gate we could see that it was a full flight. Plus there was a long line of wheel chair customer already building up at the gate. Must have been an elderly tour group as there were easily more than 20 chairs.
The flight over was fairly smooth and uneventful. Breakfast was served - Gochugang meal and a Sausage with pancakes meal. The pancakes were dry but the fruit was very sweet.
Our final leg was a good walk away so we sped through the terminal to get our daily walk. This flight was full too. As usual, Hawaii is always pleasing to the eyes as we fly over the islands to make our landing. There really isn't anything quite like it.
It was good to be back. Here are some observations about Las Vegas and the surrounding areas:
The local economy looks healthy and thriving. We did not see any closed shops or abandoned buildings. In fact to the contrary there was a lot of construction both commercial and residential.
Having said that, the hotels did not seem to be at capacity. In fact, during the day the stores and internal walk ways were pretty empty. We found all the customers by the pool - probably because it was pretty hot by the time we visited the strip.
Most have access to single family homes. Though pricing is now starting at $400k and above even for areas way out of town.
Most cars on the roads were new. Just the occasional beat up vehicle.
There are homeless areas that are pretty bad in the east and north areas of the city. We saw most of this near Nellis AFB.
There are quite diverse natural parks around Las Vegas. Though most are desert or ponderosa, we also found lava fields, sand dunes, canyons, bristlecone hills and river meadows. All this within 2.5 hour drive from Vegas. We especially liked the Mount Charleston area as it was great for getting out of the blistering heat to a cool 50s at elevation.
The Vietnamese food scene in the area is phenomenal! Great quality and fresh vegetables to boot. There were just too many to choose from.
The cost of things has literally almost doubled over the past 2 years. What used to cost about $25-$30 for a meal for two is now $45-$55. Gas pricing is similar to what we pay in Hawaii - a US gallon ranging from $3.60 at Costco to as high as $4.80 at Shell.
Got tricked by the car rental agency - did an upgrade and with it they tacked on all the extras like protection that we did not need. Must be more careful next time. The agent was really slick at upselling.
Comentários