Lost City Museum Sign
By Chris Moran
It’s winter — time for snowbirds to flock to southern Nevada.
Outdoors activities, special events and cultural attractions draw the RV crowd to Las Vegas and its environs, while the temperate weather and convenient campgrounds make it easy to stay. The region offers variety, from the excitement of the Strip to the soothing quality of desert landscapes. RV’ers enjoy a moderate climate — average highs for the winter months are in the high 50s and low 60s — and find some of the most complete and convenient campgrounds in the Southwest. Here are just a few attractions and activities to check out this winter:
Get out: Red Rock Canyon Scenic Byway
Just 15 miles west of the bright lights of Las Vegas lies Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, filled with striking red sandstone formations, hiking trails and rock-climbing opportunities. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the area includes Red Rock Canyon Scenic Byway, a 13-mile drive past multicolored rock formations and wildlife viewing areas where RV’ers may see bighorn sheep, bobcats, gray foxes and wild burros.
The one-way scenic drive is completely paved and features self-guided trails, picnic areas and vista pullouts. The Visitor Center has audio programs and scheduled interpretive activities about the natural history of the canyon. A fee of $5 per vehicle is collected at the entrance to the Scenic Loop Drive. All of the money collected remains at the site for improvements.
For more information, visit the Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area website, www.blm.gov/nv, and type “Red Rock Canyon” in the search field. The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, www.redrockcanyonlv.org, also offers information on programs and activities at Red Rock.
Ride ’em cowboy: National Finals Rodeo hits Las Vegas Dec. 6-15
Rodeo's brightest stars meet in Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. It’s 10 days of ropin,’ ridin’, buckin,’ racin’ and wrestlin’ — a.k.a. cowboy heaven! Once again, rodeo’s top-notch competitors will leave it all on the dirt at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas during their quest for respect, glory and rodeo gold! At this time, Vegas becomes a true cowboy scene with Western-themed events all over town.
Tickets, $51, are available through the website www.unlvtickets.com or 702-739-3267.
For information on the National Finals Rodeo, visit the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association website, www.prorodeo.com, or www.nfrexperience.com.
Cultural fix: Lost City Museum in Overton
Lost City Museum in Overton, built in the 1930s, continues to captivate the public with exhibits depicting the ancient Anasazi civilization that once existed in the area.
“The entire collection of archival materials is one of the best in the Southwest in terms of native peoples,” Nevada Division of Museums & History Administrator Peter Barton said. “The Lost City Museum has collected and interprets a lot of that culture.”
Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the museum houses artifacts that were threatened by the rising water of Lake Mead, created when Hoover Dam was built.
The museum is open Thursday through Saturday. Admission is $5, free for children younger than 18.
For more information, visit the website museums.nevadaculture.org, and click on the link to the Lost City Museum.
For more information on travel in Nevada, including travel itineraries, visit the website TravelNevada.com.