I need some travel advice.

[Joey83]

As the title says, I need some travel advice as I'm currently planning a trip to Las Vegas in november 2017 (I'm an aviation/photography/car enthusiast).

My intentions are primarily to attend the Nellis Air Force Base Air Show (november 11th and 12th) and maybe meet some fellow overland enthusiasts who can show me some trails.

My questions are these, where should I stay to get an affordable hotel (close-ish to the airbase), is there any OB members near Nevada, how much money do I need and what camera gear should I bring?

I do not want to see the typical touristy stuff, I would like to see more trails/nature stuff.

I want to do this, but it's atleast an 11 hour flight and I dont remember ever taking such a long flight.

I might have more questions later, in which case, I'll add them.

Thanks.

 

[VCeXpedition]

Be sure to add Lake Mead and the dam. Always worth a look. A few members on here @vegasjeepguy and others? Very accommodating folks it seems. They can probably give you some tips. I'm not a fan of the casino life but there are lot of other things to see. Nellis is a source of pride in that area for sure, always cool stuff flying around. Have a great trip.

 

[Joey83]

Lake Mead?

I'll google that, the Nellis AFB Air Show has been a goal of mine for the last few years.

Thanks @fj80toyman

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Well, as a 23 year resident of the Vegas Valley I might have a few suggestions. Since you're not interested in the touristy Vegas strip crap, there are a number of reasonable hotels close to Nellis AFB, but there are a lot of questionable ones too since it isn't the best part of town. Alicante Hotel/ Casino https://www.aliantegaming.com/ is a nice property that gives you a taste of Vegas, is reasonably priced and located relatively close to Nellis with easy access to highways.

Things to do north of town are Valley of Fire State Park http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/which will also get you very close to the north end of Lake Mead. Also in that direction is Logandale which has some amazing trails http://www.logandaletrails.com. To the south east of town is the city of Boulder City that will get you to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. To the west of town is Red Rock Canyon https://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/blm_special_areas/red_rock_nca.html
and to the northwest is Mt. Charleston, an 11,916 ft peak located in the Spring Mountains http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/htnf/recarea/?recid=65168.

A personal favorite side trip of mine is south of Vegas to the old mining town of Goodsprings. There you will find the Pioneer Saloon http://www.pioneersaloon.info, opened in 1913, it is a great experience. My wife and I loved it so much that we got married there a few years ago.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

The air show at Nellis is top notch. They set up public parking at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and shuttle people on motor coach busses to the flight line. While crowded, they do a great job moving people back and forth and not too much time is wasted in traffic. While we have very few weather days out here in the desert, I would plan on going Saturday. That way if there is an issue with weather you can change plans and go Sunday, assuming the wether is better.

 

[TreXTerra]

I haven't been down there to explore, but Valley of Fire is supposed to be fantastic and there is native rock art to find.

If you are getting there via New Mexico, a stop at White Sands National Monument would be worthwhile.

 

[VCeXpedition]

Hey @vegasjeepguy isn't there a place that rents jeeps also? With you recommending those kind of awesome places, it would be a shame to have a pedestrian Chevy Malibu or something.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Hey @vegasjeepguy isn't there a place that rents jeeps also? With you recommending those kind of awesome places, it would be a shame to have a pedestrian Chevy Malibu or something.

I'm sure there are and I can find out. When you own your own you tend to not worry about renting one.

 

[Egan]

I'm sure you can rent one somewhere near Vegas, I would rent one and do Mojave Road if I had time.

 

[Joey83]

I'd be happy just to get a ride with someone, and a visit to the Nellis airshow is a goal I'd love to complete, right now the plan is to spend 1 week in the Nellis/Las Vegas area and 1 week somewhere else in the US in november 2017

 

[pdxplorer15]

Definitely do the Hoover Dam. The on-site tour (at least when I went a few years ago) is very interesting. Also, if time/budget allows, you're a few (okay, several) hours away from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Probably should allow for an extra night or two to get a taste of things. You'll want to go back though and spend more time at some point. The Grand Canyon should be on everyone's bucket list, in my opinion. :-)

 

[Joey83]

Thanks guys, I'm slowly beginning to plan my trip, I want to have as much fun as possible should I make it to US next year.

 

[Scott]

The sounds like an awesome trip!! I'm only 4 hours from Vegas... Hmmmm road trip to meet another OB member...

 

[Joey83]

It would be a great trip, atleast for me.
I'll begin saving up in a few months, I just have to get my car roadworthy for another 2 year periode first.

 

[Joey83]

*Bump*

How many dollars would I need to save up to stay a month in the USA?

I don't need a 4/5 star hotel, and I don't want to see the typical touristy stuff, I want to experience the country the same way the locals see it.

What I really want is to meet new people, maybe get a few new friends, get new memories (I need that) and have as much fun as possible while I'm over there.

The initial plan as of today (10.12.2016) is to arrive on the west coast and stay there for a few weeks as one of my "objectives" is to visit Seattle and the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field then travel east and leave from New York about a month after arriving.

More objectives might be added at a later date.

 

[VCeXpedition]

With a plan like that, seems like the majority of your travel budget will be airfare.
Unless you rent a car in Washington and drop it off in NY. Then your cost would be easier to predict based on the size of car you'd prefer. And if you rent the right one, you could sleep in that occasionally if needed.
One month to drive across the US would be a rapid pace but you could definitely hit the highlights in that time.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Joey83]

I actually plan on flying to San Francisco and stay there for a few weeks first, and I would like to drive a V8 Mustang once.

 

[NetDep]

Hey @vegasjeepguy isn't there a place that rents jeeps also? With you recommending those kind of awesome places, it would be a shame to have a pedestrian Chevy Malibu or something.

I know you didn't ask me but thought I would chime in. When my wife and I were in LV a couple of years ago and had some time to do something "fun" (fun for me is different than fun for her) we did a trip with this outfit and it was top notch!! Great gear and very nice and knowledgeable people!! We did a guided tour and was well worth it. They met us at the hotel and we shuttled to two jeeps to the desert, aired down and got it on!! Lunch was included and it was a day of memories - they took some nice pics for us to keep too....not to sound too much like a commercial but they are a business I will patronize again.

In looking at their website they also rent Jeeps!!

http://www.lasvegasrockcrawlers.com/

Here is one of the pics from the trip....

 

[Joey83]

That looks like fun @NetDep

Edit: Looks like I need to be a US citizen with a valid US licence, neither of which I am or have, so I'll have to find another solution when the time comes.

 

[NetDep]

That looks like fun @NetDep

Edit: Looks like I need to be a US citizen with a valid US licence, neither of which I am or have, so I'll have to find another solution when the time comes.

Sorry, missed that part........