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Vegas to Grand Canyon Skywalk at Eagle Point

Trip details: 129 miles / 207 kilometers one-way

Not a short route by any stretch, the Epik Trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon’s western edge makes up for its rigorous length with stunning scenery and idiosyncratic experiences.

Your first stop is not a natural wonder, but a monument to human engineering. Constructed between 1931 and 1936, during the height of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam is a unique destination.

Impounding Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, the mammoth dam is visited by millions each year. Save yourself 10 bucks or so by avoiding the parking garage. Instead, pull into the rest area on the other side of the dam for free and then take a slightly longer walk to the visitor center to admire the whole of the area. The tour is recommended, as is a brief stop at the museum down in neighboring Boulder City, to get a clearer view of just how much ingenuity the construction of this massive structure required.

Should the sight of all that water makes you long for beaches and coastal retreats in comparatively dry Nevada, you’ll enjoy the next stop. Drive a little further down the Colorado River and break out the water sports at Willow Beach. A small enclave of sands nested between steep canyons, here paddle crafters and kayakers alike will find plenty of activities to immerse themselves in.

If water sports do not quite float or rock your boat, and you crave for meat and mash then the next stop will please your palate in more ways than one. Bullets & Burgers brings together two of America’s favorite pastimes in a single setting. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy the proprietors’ outside shooting range. Choose from a menu that includes All American Beef and firing a .50 caliber mounted weapon from the comfort of an airborne helicopter. Blow up a car and/or squash one with a monster truck. Either way, continue onward with aggressive impulses and other appetites fully satisfied (vegetarian options are available upon request).

Prefer to keep your eating habits and your inner Rambo carefully compartmentalized? No problem. Gird yourself until you reach the White Hills area, then stop off at the Canyon Café in Dolan Springs for a quiet and hearty eat.

An additional thirty minutes of driving will lead you to Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest, indicating that your destination is near.

The Grand Canyon is just on the horizon. However, before continuing onward, consider stopping off at the Grand Canyon Western Ranch and its Old West Stables to experience a bit of wagon trail wisdom. The proprietors offer horse-riding tours through trails that wind along the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert. See the area, and the ranch’s own buffalo herd, as one might have encountered it 100 years hitherto.

In either case, you’ll need wheels rather than hooves to get through the Grand Canyon’s Western entrance. Keep following Diamond Bar Road through the park and you’ll come to Eagle Point and the Grand Canyon Skypark. These are the views that postcards and Instagram influencers gorge on. Walk along the pier and look out upon the deep and the red rock below. Then take a leisurely walk around the recreation area, where Native American dwellings give small testament to the site’s rich and ancient heritage.
 

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