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Day Three: Kayaking to Emerald Cave and Raiders Stadium Tour

Emerald Cave Day Trip from Las Vegas

Kayaking to Emerald Cave

We checked out of our hotel and drove to Willow Beach Harbor where we rented two tandem kayaks for 8 hours for our self-guided tour. At the time an 8 hour tandem kayak rental was $120.

Tip #1: Bring your National Park Pass or your Lake Mead receipt from the day before. The Lake Mead NRA fee station at the top of Willow Beach Road collects entry fees, and your receipt from the day before gives you 7-day access.

Where is Emerald Cave?

Emerald Cave is located on the Colorado River and is about 2 miles upstream from Willow Beach Marina. As you kayak upstream, you will see it on your right side.

The cave is hard to miss because it is a popular spot and groups of guided kayakers visit it. Sometimes there will be long lines to get into the cave, but luckily we arrived just as a group was leaving. We had about ten minutes to enjoy the cave before another group arrived.


Universal Waterproof Phone Pouch, Compatible for iPhone 12 Pro 11 Pro Max XS Max XR X 8 7 Samsung Galaxy s10/s9 Google Pixel 2 HTC Up to 7.0″, IPX8 Cellphone Dry Bag -2 Pack

Timing is Important

The Emerald Cave is not always emerald. This small cave only lights up when the sunlight reflects off the bottom of the river during certain times of the day. Due to the steep canyon walls, we planned on arriving at the Emerald Cave around mid-day to increase our chances of seeing the cave lit up.

The cave was only partially lit up when we arrived, but it was beautiful. We could only imagine what it would look like if the entire cave was that vibrant, sparkling emerald color.

How long does it take to paddle to Emerald Cave?

It depends on your physical fitness and experience, but we feel that 4 to 5 hours would give a beginner plenty of time to kayak there and back and still have time to enjoy the scenery and stop at one of the beaches along the way. Allow yourself additional time to swim in the water or hike one of the trails from the beaches.

All of us have been kayaking before and are of average fitness. We were able to kayak to Emerald Cave and back within four hours. It was a good workout upstream, but we hardly paddled on the way back. We allowed the current to carry us back to the marina, which gave us plenty of time to eat our lunch and enjoy the beautiful Black Canyons, the desert big horn sheep and the birds.

Tip #2: When kayaking upstream, kayak on the sides of the river where the current is not as strong. It will take less time and effort to paddle upstream this way.


Waterproof Dry Bag with Waterproof Phone Case


Tip #3: Bring a Waterproof Dry Bag (like the one above) to keep your camera, phone and other electronics safe. We saw a kayaker flip over unexpectedly in her kayak so it does happen.

Sightseeing Pass logo

Las Vegas Raiders Stadium Tour

Raiders Stadium Tour (Allegiant Stadium)

The Allegiant Stadium Tour

We could not visit Las Vegas without seeing the new Las Vegas Raiders Stadium (Allegiant Stadium)! The stadium is a gorgeous facility! The tour was much more than I expected.

What will I see on the Raiders stadium tour?

The stadium tour includes a tour of Al Davis Memorial Torch, Broadcast Booth, Private Suites and Clubs, Raiderette Locker Room, Ubeo Press Conference Room, Raiders Locker Rooms, Hall of Fame Wall, the Field and more. There was plenty to see and we loved the surprise in the locker room!

How much does the Raiders stadium tour cost?

Guided tour tickets cost $59 and the Guided Tour and Drink with view costs $80. We took the latter. You can purchase additional drinks and food at your own cost. If you do, try the nachos! They were delicious and generously filled a football shaped bowl. It was the perfect size for the four of us to snack on.

The tour includes a digital souvenir photo and short video clip. Use your pass to get a 10% discount off the Raiders store.

Tip #1: Get your tickets way in advance because they sell out quickly!

How long does the Raiders stadium tour last?

The tour itself lasted a little over an hour (about 75 minutes). Then we had our drinks and ate some nachos and pretzels. After we ate, we went shopping at the Raiders store. Overall, we spent about two hours here.

Tip #2 : Shop after the tour. Your hands will be free of shopping bags to take plenty of photos during the tour. Then you can use your stadium tour pass to get a 10% discount on store purchases.

Drive to Airbnb

We drove a couple of hours to our Airbnb in Washington, Utah which will be our home base for the rest of the trip. If you prefer to stay closer to Zion, you can stay in Springdale. Springdale is a popular choice but the price of accommodations are also higher. We were able to get a beautifully furnished, well stocked house (with a washer and dryer) for less that what we would have paid for a nice room in Springdale.


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