Las Vegas in Mid-April?

[Snowflea]

Corkscrew?

Wow, I'm impressed by how many VFTTers have been up this peak--include moi in that total as well. If you climb it, watch out for tarantulas and rattlesnakes--I saw both.

Agree w/all suggestions and will add that there's some nice hiking just south of Vegas in Boulder City's Bootleg Canyon if you don't want to drive long distance (i.e. Death Valley or Zion). I once counted 28 bighorn sheep there, with the Vegas skyline as a backdrop. Totally weird.

Have also seen bighorn sheep in Valley of Fire SP which, BTW, has some awesome campsites near huge rocks, a la Joshua Tree, and amazing petroglyphs.

And hey, don't miss the Bellagio water show!!

 

[DougPaul]

If you go to Zion, be advised that you cannot drive throughout the park. You must take the shuttle. I did not find it to be inconvenient though.

IIRC, the shuttles ran evey 15 min so the waits were minimal. They were also very handy for loop hikes--no need to worry about spotting a car.

Angel's Landing is the high point (literally!) of any hiking you would do in Zion. I plan to go back and spend a couple more days there.

A nice hike, but a bit hard on those who are afraid of heights... A squall line hit us on the way down and we were treated to a spectacular show as the walls erupted in waterfalls.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Nice photo, Tim. My hunch is that was taken in 2005, a bonanza year for wildflowers.

This year may be a good one too. DV has already received a couple of inches of rain in the past week or two, and there's another storm(s) forecast for this weekend. Hard to believe the weather guessers this far out, but it will contain at least some moisture.

As with many things - there's much to be said for timing. The rains need to fall within a certain time window in order to translate into a big wildflower year.

 

[dentonfabrics]

Nice photo, Tim. My hunch is that was taken in 2005, a bonanza year for wildflowers.

Kevin, I was lucky enough to be out there after the rains finally stopped. I had never seen the desert more alive with color. It was amazing.

One more thing about hiking Vegas - you should check out Branch Whitney's website, hikinglasvegas.com for info on hikes. He has a monthly newsletter that usually has trip reports. Here's a link to his latest trip, Mack's Peak, an interesting looking hike just a few miles outside the city. check it out...

http://www.hikinglasvegas.com/Mackfree.pdf

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Red Rock Canyon is less than 20 miles from Vegas. I haven't hiked there but did it as a driving tour a few years ago, and it was nice. Temperature was around 105 in June, not sure what it would be like in April - hopefully a lot cooler. There's a fee to get in but I seem to remember it was just a few bucks. There's a web site here: http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

Chalk up another vote for the Red Rock Canyon. The place is one of the most beautiful spots in the west. I took the bus tour and hiked a few trails as well. Plenty of water is a must.

 

[mtnpa]

Check out White Rocks Canyon just beyond Hoover Dam:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12449