April 8th

Today we head out from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam. Like all tourists, we take the first exit toward the dam and end up stuck in traffic for about an hour. With a bit of luck you might find a parking spot for around $10. Instead, we turn around and drive to the Hoover Dam Memorial parking lot, then walk the roughly 10 minutes up to the Hoover Dam highway bridge, which offers a spectacular view of the entire dam – a great time-saver if you don't necessarily need to explore the dam up close with its full history and guided tour. We continue along Lakeshore Drive and Northshore Drive through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (the National Annual Pass is valid here too). There are several viewpoints and beaches along the way. From the signposted viewpoints you get a wonderful view of Lake Mead. At the end of the route we turn off toward the Valley of Fire (State Park – entry fee required). The Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, founded as far back as 1935. Here you'll find impressive sandstone formations in colours ranging from white through yellow and orange to fiery red, which in the right light truly do resemble flames. Well worth seeing are the Rainbow Vista and Silica Dome. Also very well known are the Elephant Rock and Seven Sisters. Short hikes lead out into the landscape – there really is a great deal to see and explore. The 1-mile Scenic Trail at the White Domes is highly recommended.
Before returning to the hotel we take a drive along the Strip and photograph the legendary "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, located in front of the Mandalay Bay hotel. We then stroll along the Las Vegas Strip once more and watch the gigantic volcano eruption at the Mirage hotel. Unfortunately, we missed the pirate show at Treasure Island in the meantime.