1. Zion National Park, about 150 miles from Las Vegas in Utah, features spectacular canyons and rock formations. They resulted from upheavals of the earth and erosion by flowing water and frost.
 courtesy of IndexOpen In the spring and early summer, Zion is famous for its waterfalls, which plunge more than 2,000 feet from the canyon rim to the floor of the Virgin River Valley. See more pictures of National Parks near Las Vegas. |
2. Further from Las Vegas is Bryce Canyon National Park, a 56-square-mile area of colorful cliffs created by erosion. Towering rocks worn to odd, sculptured shapes stand grouped in striking sequences.
3. Capitol Reef National Park, its elevation ranging from 3,900-8,800 feet, is composed of red sandstone cliffs capped with domes of white sandstone. It is in Utah's slickrock country, almost 400 miles from Las Vegas.
4. Canyonlands National Park, the other side of Utah from Nevada's border near Las Vegas, includes spectacular rock formations, canyons, arches, spires, pictograph panels, Puebloan ruins, and desert flora. The area is largely undeveloped.
5. Arches National Park is a timeless landscape of giant stone arches, pinnacles, spires, fins, and windows. You'll quickly forget the casinos of Las Vegas.
6. Nevada's Great Basin National Park lies near Las Vegas. It includes the limestone Lehman Caves, the Wheeler Peak glacier, and Lexington Arch, a natural limestone arch more than six stories tall.
7. Directly east of Las Vegas in Arizona is Grand Canyon National Park. Its great expanse and awe- inspiring vistas reveal spectacular desert landscape.
8. Also across the Arizona border from Las Vegas is Petrified Forest National Park. Its 93,532 acres include an amazing display of petrified wood.
9. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is further into Arizona from Las Vegas. Hundreds of years ago the Pueblo built houses into the canyon's red sandstone walls.
 courtesy of IndexOpen Arguably the best-known natural feature in Utah, Delicate Arch is a hollow remnant of a solid sandstone fin. |
10. Just over 100 miles west of Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park, a brutally rugged but beautiful land of extremes. It holds records for the continent's lowest point (282 feet below sea level) and highest recorded temperature (134 degrees Fahrenheit).
11. Driving south from Las Vegas takes you to Joshua Tree National Park. The Joshua tree, a member of the lily family, is actually an oversized yucca.
 courtesy of IndexOpen The Joshua tree appears throughout the park, both singly and in groves, and it can grow to heights of 40 feet. |
12. Yosemite National Park presents a striking change from Las Vegas. It features one of the planet's greatest concentrations of natural features, including Yosemite Falls, the Mariposa and Merced giant sequoia groves, and the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers.
13. Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are adjacent to each other across the California border from Las Vegas. They contain earth's most massive trees, giant sequoias so huge they far surpass the size of any other species.
