Hiking and driving through the starkly striking landscape of southern Nevada may prove even more exhilarating than winning a few bucks at the roulette wheel. If you only have a few hours, consider a visit to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, an aptly named geological site about 15 minutes west of town. If you go, be sure to take a camera to capture the vermilion cliffs on film. Start with the visitor's center to orient you to the desert ecology and what there is to see and do here. Then take a few short hikes.
Most trails are pretty passable for half a mile to a mile, then they get rough.
You have to know your own limits - both athletically and timewise. He always warns hikers to wear appropriate footgear and take adequate water. Temperatures tend to be in the 50s even in mid-winter and over 100 degrees on summer days. And lowlanders might want to know the altitude starts at 3,700 feet at the visitor's center and goes up to 6,000 feet on the cliff tops. Walking the trails gives visitors a chance to see how a riparian and desert ecology exist side by side.