Do you recommend any good day trips from Las Vegas? And please exclude the two usual suspects—Mt. Charleston and Red Rock. Done those.

Well, we can recommend some fun stuff that won’t be too costly and won’t take that much gas to get there. Valley of Fire State Park may be just slightly less obvious than Charleston or Red Rock, but we want to give it an extra nudge. Only 55 miles northwest of Vegas, this beauty is hard to surpass for killer scenic loveliness. Hidden canyons, fascinating red-rock formations and historic petroglyphs abound.

Laugh if you must, but just an hour’s drive north on Highway 160 is the Pahrump Winery. You’ll be surprised, as the winery is complete with tasting rooms, gazebos and tours to create a very relaxing afternoon.

Best for last. The Mojave National Preserve is just an hour southwest of Las Vegas. This sprawling, 1.6-million-acre preserve is loaded with good things, like sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, beautiful Joshua Trees and mile-high mountains that make for some great photo ops. Go. Now. Thank you very much.

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