Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas

• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area is a nearly 200,000 acre landscape preserve which is 15 miles west of the Las Vegas strip. Red Rock features a scenic driving trail, and along the way, visitors can learn about the preserve, plan their hiking trips or see some local wildlife on exhibit at the Visitors' Center.
  
  Also along the trail is Red Rock Canyon's main attraction: miles and miles of hiking through beds of clay, sandstone and local flora and fauna. Around March to May each year, running springs and waterfalls can be seen alongside the hiking trails. One of the great views that you can find at Red Rock is the silhouette of the red rocks and sandstone cliffs, which falls against the dark clouds that occasionally roll into Red Rock Canyon.
  
  Red Rock Canyon also has resources for kids, such as a children's plant life discovery trail, and has picnic, restroom, and camping resources available.
  
  Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
  
  1000 Scenic Dr.
  
  Las Vegas, NV 89124
  
  (702) 515-5350
  
  redrockcanyonlv.org
  
  

Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico

• If you and your family have ever considered spelunking, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico offers some unparalleled caves to explore. At Carlsbad Caverns, you can take guided tours of some truly magnanimous caves, and view breathtaking cave formations that have been collecting for millions of years.
  
  Carlsbad Caverns is a busy park, so if you don't want to deal with as many tourists, it is best to travel in the warm seasons of the early summer, but if you like taking tours with big groups, you can find tours available at Carlsbad Caverns all year round. If you travel with small children, however, you should be aware that children under 3 years of age are not allowed on the guided tours, and strollers are not permitted in the caves, so babies must travel by backpack.
  
  At Carlsbad Caverns, you can see for yourself what it is that differentiates a stalactite from a stalagmite.
  
  3225 National Parks Hwy
  
  Carlsbad, NM 88220-5366
  
  (575) 885-8884
  
  nps.gov/cave