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Day Two: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon West

Arizona Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon Skywalk and Hoover Dam Photo Collage

Lake Mead

Road to Lake Mead, NV


We left our hotel around 6:30am, and stopped by Starbucks to pick up some coffee and breakfast sandwiches. There was no traffic on the road that early in the morning so it was an easy easy drive to Lake Mead.

We used our America the Beautiful: National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass to enter.

Tip #1: We are going to visit more than two national parks or federal recreational lands in a year so we saved money by purchasing a National Parks pass. The standard annual pass currently costs $80 (plus a $5 processing fee). Discounted or free passes are available for certain people so check their website for details.

Lake Mead is America’s first and largest national recreation area. We saw campers, boaters and people fishing. We enjoyed sipping our coffee, walking around Lake Mead, and enjoying the beautiful morning.


Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam Low Water Level 2021
Hoover Dam Low Water Level 2021

After our morning coffee, we continued to Hoover Dam which was only a 15 minute drive.

Tip #2: Park on the Arizona’s side where you can park for free (except for the first covered parking area). Or pay $10 to park on the Nevada side closest to the visitor center.

When we went Hoover Dam Visitor Center tours and exhibits were closed. You can visit their website for current status.

We walked on top of the dam, and gave ourselves a tour. We noticed the water levels were low at Lake Mead, but they were even more obvious at Hoover Dam. The water levels are so low that The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation may declare a water shortage for the first time. If the water levels drop too low, it could threaten electricity generation at Hoover Dam which could affect millions of people in Nevada, Arizona and California.

Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest

Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest

We drove a little over an hour to reach Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest. This is a great place to stretch your legs, and learn about the Joshua Trees. Signs were posted providing information about the Joshua Tree, other plant life, and the wildlife in the area.


Lunch at The Boat House Café & Grill

The Boat House Café & Grill’s Jalapeno Bacon Cheeseburger

We drove about 15 minutes to The Boat House Café & Grill, 30185 Escalante Blvd, Meadview, AZ 86444, where we were greeted by friendly people. I had a delicious jalapeno bacon cheeseburger and fries for lunch. I loved that they used tri tip burgers, and Texas Toast instead of burger buns. It was the second best burger I had on this trip, and one of the best jalapeno burgers I have had!

Grand Canyon West

Day Trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Skywalk

We drove another 40 minutes to Grand Canyon West. Grand Canyon West is part of the Grand Canyon, but it is not in the U.S. Grand Canyon National Park. It is located on the Hualapai (Native American) reservation so your National Park pass will not work here. Park at the visitor center, and then walk through the terminal. The reservation runs a shuttle system from this point. There were a good number of people there, but we never waited long for a shuttle.

Tip #3: You need to purchase both admission to Grand Canyon West Rim and also purchase the Skywalk add-on to be able to walk on the skywalk. Read my post on how we saved money on our skywalk tickets.

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Grand Canyon Skywalk and view of Eagle Point

Our first stop was the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is a clear bridge jutting out 70 feet from the canyon, and 4,000 feet up in the air! You have a beautiful view of the Grand Canyon and Eagle Point from this bridge.

Native American House

Personal cameras, cell phones, smart watches are NOT allowed on the Skywalk. You are required to store them in free personal lockers before you enter the Skywalk. If you want photos, they have their own photographers that will take photos of you and your family. We paid $65 for the digital photo package. I know it seems pricey, but it was worth it for our family. Walking on the Grand Canyon Skywalk has been on our bucket list for years! We only wish we had spent more time on the Skywalk itself.

Tip #4: If you want photos on the Skywalk, then budget for photos because no personal cameras are allowed on the Skywalk. The $65 digital photo package provides the best value. We got 40 photos (i.e., 20 photos of our family and 20 souvenir photos). If you do not care about Skywalk photos, then save your money. You can take your own photos anywhere else, and there are plenty of locations to capture beautiful scenic views of the Grand Canyon.


Guano Point

Guano Point, Grand Canyon West

We stopped by and explored Guano Point. Guano Point has a historic tramway, which was used to extract “Guano” (bat droppings) from a cave. Why would anyone want to extract bat droppings? Well, bat droppings is rich with nitrogen and was a useful fertilizer.

View of the Colorado River, Guano Point, Grand Canyon West

There are some hiking trails and incredible views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River here.

Eagle Point Native American Village

Example of Hopi Indian House at Grand Canyon West
Example of Hopi Indian House

Eagle Point provides an opportunity for visitors to learn about Native American culture. Authentic Native American structures are on display, and members of the Hualapai Tribe were singing and dancing in the amphitheater.

Returning to Las Vegas

On our way back to Las Vegas we stopped by Port of Subs to pick up some sandwiches and chips for our kayaking trip tomorrow. We filled up our gas tank and picked up pizzas from Giordano’s that we had ordered in advance. My mom and I turned in for the evening, but my husband and daughter went Ziplining on the Strip. It conveniently dropped them off at Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, where they got some ice cream sundaes. My husband being the awesome man he is, brought some back to us too.



Trip Itinerary


Day 1: Las Vegas


Day 2: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon West


Day 3: Kayaking to Emerald Cave and Raiders Stadium Tour


Day 4: Bryce Canyon


Day 5: Zion Emerald Pools


Day 6: Zion Horseback Riding


Day 7: Hiking Zion National Park Narrows

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Day One: Las Vegas

We took a nonstop flight from Texas to Las Vegas. We arrived late afternoon, picked up our rental car, and checked into The Linq Hotel, which would be our home base for the next couple of days. The Linq Hotel is located on the strip and parking is complimentary for registered hotel guests. Space was not a priority for us because we would be spending most of our time on the road or doing activities, so the room with 2 doubles was perfect for our needs.

We walked to Gordon Ramsay Burger, and had a delicious dinner! Gordon Ramsay Burger is located within Planet Hollywood, and it is the only gourmet burger place on the Strip to cook their beef patties over an open flame fueled by hardwoods. People who have been vaccinated are not required to wear masks. We waited over a half hour in line just to get seated. A bar was close by so we just sipped a cocktail while waiting in line. At the time Gordon Ramsay Burger was not accepting reservations, but I would get reservations next time if that option is available.

Gordon Ramsay's Truffle Burger
Gordon Ramsay’s Truffle Burger

We ordered the Truffle Burger, Hell’s Kitchen Burger, and the Truffle Parmesan Fries. Gordon Ramsay’s Truffle Burger is one of the best truffle burgers I have ever eaten, and it was the best meal we had on this trip!!! The truffle burger has tremor cheese, bacon, truffle burger, frisée, pickled shallot, fried egg and truffle aïoli. The Hell’s Kitchen burger was not as spicy as I had hoped it would be, but it had a good flavor. The Truffle fries were fries topped with parmesan cheese and was served with a side of truffle aïoli and house ketchup. The fries were cooked to perfection, but I was not a fan of the truffle aïoli. I still think my husband makes the best truffle fries!

After our dinner, we took a self-guided Sweets Walking Tour.

ULTIMATE All IN ONE TRAVEL PLANNER
ULTIMATE All IN ONE TRAVEL PLANNER

Las Vegas Sweets Walking Tour

Total walking time from one location to another is about 26m (1.2mi).

Las Vegas Self-Guided Sweet Tooth Tour Map
Las Vegas Sweets Walking Tour mapped in Google Maps

Hershey’s Chocolate World

  • See a replica of the Statue of Liberty made up of nearly 800lbs of Hershey’s milk chocolate.
  • Customize your own chocolate bar.
  • Star in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup TV Ad
  • Try some tasty treats from the Hershey’s Bake Shoppe
  • Hershey Kisses Flavor Wall
  • Jolly Rancher Flavor Wall

M&M’s World

  • This was M&M’s first store location! The store is 28,000 square feet and has four levels.
  • Personalize your own M&M’s with the personal printer. You can combine customized messages, images, and 16 different colors of M&M’s candies.
  • Try tasting limited edition M&M’s such as chili nut or jalapeno M&Ms.

Coca Cola Store

  • The Coca Cola Fountain is located on level two. Try Coke Floats and sample 16 different international beverages with the Taste of the World beverage tray.
  • Take a photo with Coca-Cola Polar Bear

I Love Sugar

  • This 14,000 square foot candy store has two levels. The second floor is dedicated to chocolate and has a candy martini bar!
  • Try a candy-infused martini, smoking goblets, and milkshakes. Kids can get a non-alcoholic version.
  • Try candy sushi, gummies shaped as foods (e.g., gummy pizza, gummy hamburgers, gummy pickle), make custom candy powder tubes, get giant candy.
  • Bring home the world’s largest gummy bear (10 inches tall and weighing 5 pounds).
  • Take photos of the giant candy sculptures and gummy bear chandelier.
Making Custom Pucker Powder (Candy Powder) Tubes at I Love Sugar Las Vegas
Making Custom Pucker Powder (Candy Powder) Tubes at I Love Sugar Las Vegas

The first three stores were limiting the number of people they allowed in the store and had long lines just to get in. So we just took a few selfies in front of some props like the giant M&M statues and continued to the I Love Sugar store.

The I Love Sugar store was impressive! My daughter was in candy heaven! We were surrounded by all types of candies and candy art. If you like Pixy Stix, you will love the Pucker Powder station where you can create your own custom mix of candy powder in clear tubes of various lengths. My daughter grabbed gumballs of all different flavors and sizes. We grabbed interesting gummy candies shaped as hamburgers and pizzas. The second floor was stocked with all sorts of chocolates and had a bar that served candied cocktails and milkshakes! Of course, we had to grab an I Love Sugar teddy bear as a souvenir. My daughter said this was one of her top 3 experiences on our trip.


Trip Itinerary


Day 1: Las Vegas


Day 2: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon West


Day 3: Kayaking to Emerald Cave and Raiders Stadium Tour


Day 4: Bryce Canyon


Day 5: Zion Emerald Pools


Day 6: Zion Horseback Riding


Day 7: Hiking Zion National Park Narrows

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One Week Road Trip: Nevada, Arizona, Utah

1 week road trip Nevada, Arizona and Utah

Last week, my family and I went on an amazing vacation visiting Nevada, Arizona and Utah. We had such a great time, and were able to cross off a bunch of items on our bucket list. I am excited to share our experiences and tips so that you can have a wonderful, stress-free vacation too! I have a lot of information to share so I will be writing a post each day to get the information out as quickly as possible so stay tuned for updates.

Here is a summary of what we accomplished in just one week!

  • Las Vegas
  • Lake Mead
  • Raider’s Allegiant Stadium Tour
  • Kayaking to Emerald Cave
  • Hoover Dam
  • Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest
  • Grand Canyon West
    • Grand Canyon Skywalk
    • Guano Point
    • Eagle Point
    • Native American Village Self-Guided Tour
  • Dixie National Forest
  • Bryce Canyon
    • Mossy Cave
    • Tropic Ditch Falls
    • Queens Garden Trail
    • Navajo Loop Trail
    • ATV’ing
    • Dark Sky Telescope Tour
  • Zion      
    • Emerald Pools
    • The Narrows
    • Horseback Riding
Sightseeing Pass logo

Trip Itinerary


Day 1: Las Vegas


Day 2: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon West


Day 3: Kayaking to Emerald Cave and Raiders Stadium Tour


Day 4: Bryce Canyon


Day 5: Zion Emerald Pools


Day 6: Zion Horseback Riding


Day 7: Hiking Zion National Park Narrows