Best things to see in Nevada aside from Las Vegas including Red Rock Canyon – Mirror Online

When thinking of Nevada, Las Vegas is usually the city that immediately springs to mind.

However, it could be time to think again, as the the Silver State has so much more to offer than the excesses of Sin City.

While Vegas offers up plenty of glitz and glamour, head beyond the neon and you'll find vast expanses of rocky desert that drift up to snowcapped mountains and alpine forests.

There's ample opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime road trips too, thanks to the skinny highways snaking through giant landscapes and forgotten ghost towns.

Oh, and make sure to leave space on the itinerary to discover the state's glorious national and state parks.

We take a look at seven breathtaking spots in Nevada if you're looking to take a break from the hedonism in Las Vegas...

You dont have to go far to get remote. These two amazing sites in the surrounding Mojave Desert are exactly how you imagine the American Far West to be. Stunning red sandstone hills and cliffs. Psychedelic rock formations. Arid valleys of cactus and scrub.

Red Rock Canyon is just beyond Vegas city limits to the west, while the Valley of Fire is about an hour northeast.

You can hike, climb, or drive around both, and theyre perfect for picnics or mini road trips. Be sure to stay until late afternoon when as their names suggest the peaks seemingly catch ablaze in the setting sun.

Find out more at redrockcanyonlv.org and parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

Less than two north hours of Vegas is Route 375, dubbed the ET Highway due to decades of UFO sightings and its proximity to the top-secret Area 51 air force base.

The drive up through the magnificent surreal landscape is worth the effort (and scores of photos) alone. But then youre greeted by cool alien-themed shops and road signs, before arriving at the Little ALeInn in the remote desert hamlet of Rachel.

Featured in the Simon Pegg movie Paul, the fantastic inn has a trove of alien paraphernalia and is a mecca for UFO-enthusiasts. It's also as close as you can get to Area 51. Make sure you obey the no trespassing signs, the men in black are watching you.

Great for a day trip, or get a room at the inn and take your chances with the night. Find out more at littlealeinn.com.

Further northeast, next to the Utah border, is the handsome Great Basin National Park. The Great Basin itself is the vast watershed that covers most of Nevada north of Vegas, as well as half of Utah and parts of Oregon and California.

The national park is a snapshot of the Basins wide-ranging topography, flora and fauna. Rising sharply from the desert valley, you soon reach elevated glacial lakes and pretty temperate forests, culminating in the towering 13,000ft-high Wheeler Peak.

There's also groves of ancient bristlecone pines some over 5,000 years old as well as scenic driving routes, visitor centres, hiking trails, and the popular Lehman caves with their labyrinth of giant stalactites and mites. Find out more at http://www.nps.gov/grba.

The Nevada section of Highway 50 is ultimate road trip country. Starting at the Great Basin National Park, it stretches clean across central Nevada, following the route of the old Overland Stagecoach and Pony Express.

It gained its ambiguous title of The Loneliest Road in America due to its sheer remoteness. Youll see scenes straight from a movie, with big country, and even bigger sky.

The very empty highway arrows through panoramic valleys, then rises and snakes through mountain ranges, before descending into the next valley. Wave after wave for hundreds of miles.

The elevated desert is less hot than the blazing Mojave to the south, though the occasional oncoming vehicle will still materialise out of the shimmering horizon like a mirage.

But dont fear the road less travelled, there are spots of civilisation every 70 miles or so to stock up on supplies. The coolest being Ely and Eureka, two Old West towns now undergoing regeneration. The historic Hotel Nevada in Ely is an oasis of neon and retro gambling, a great place to get out of the saddle for the night.

Find out more at elynevada.net.

After finishing Highway 50, Reno will live up to its billing as the 'biggest little city in the world'.

Locals dont like their town being thought of as a little Las Vegas, but that'll probably be your first impression.

With its old-school casinos, blazing neon, massive murals, and low-slung motels, you could easily mistake yourself for being in Downtown Vegas.

And then theres the three main casino hotels of Eldorado, Circus Circus, and Silver Legacy, which have interconnected to become The Row, a mega-resort akin to Vegass more modern Strip. With a warren of restaurants, bars, and shows, you can top up on your hedonism after all that nature.

Reno is also a city on the up aside from tourism. The cool Midtown District has a rapidly growing collection of contemporary restaurants, bars, galleries, and boutique shops.

And what with Tesla opening its huge Gigafactory, plus Apple and Google also expanding out from the relatively nearby San Francisco Bay Area, it could soon become a little Silicon Valley.

Just dont let the locals hear you call it that.

Find out more at visitrenotahoe.com.

In 1859 one of the greatest ever discoveries of silver sparked a frenzied rush to the hills 25 miles south of Reno.

Virginia City sprang up as a wild boomtown above the mines, and was once described as a den of 'avarice, lust, and devilry'.

The boom only lasted 25 years and the town slowly withered away. But then it became the location for the Wild West TV show Bonanza and was reborn as a top tourist destination.

The ornate historic wooden buildings and boardwalks of the main road have been restored to original style, and are now mostly occupied by dozens of fantastically cheesy saloons and souvenir shops.

Theres also an old steam train, museums, ghost tours, and plenty of real cowboys and cowgirls.

Its a great place to while away a few hours, but can be a bit of a Wild West theme park. Get there before high noon when the town gets overrun by posses of tourists spending fistfuls of dollars.

Find out more at visitvirginiacitynv.com.

Just half an hour from Reno is Lake Tahoe. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains on the border with California, its a verdant retreat from the deserts below.

In summer, the cobalt waters of the 22-mile-long lake are awash with aquatic activity - swimming, sailing, kayaking, and the like. In winter, its all about the snow. Over a dozen resorts in the area cater for the crowds who come to ski and snowboard amid the colossal conifers.

The north side of the lake is more rustic and chic, while Tahoe South is a buzz of hotels, bars, shops, and restaurants. There, the only real demarcation between the two states is the sudden cessation of casinos as you cross the street into California.

Drive the 72-mile rugged road around the shore and youll find beaches, forests, state parks, and hiking trails, all with a view of the shimmering lake.

Go on. Relax and take a dip. Youll be back in the heat and hustle of Vegas in no time.

Find out more at tahoesouth.com.

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Best things to see in Nevada aside from Las Vegas including Red Rock Canyon - Mirror Online