Cool Places For Your Family to Beat the Heat

Summer Vacation Ideas

by Virginia Stiles

Living in Las Vegas is fun, diverse, sunny, and awesome. I love it! Really!! BUT, sometimes you "just gotta get out o' town" because of the heat. So, gather the kids, bring a few snacks and games to play in the car, and go visit places where you can find cooler temperatures without traveling for days.

Spring Mountain Ranch State Park

This really diverse and interesting 520 acre haven is located within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, at 3,800 feet, 15 miles away. In the early days, the many springs and cool meadows provided water and respite for the Paiute Indians and early settlers. Non-native people have been living there since the mid 1830's, when it was a cattle ranch and later a chinchilla ranch. Other owners were German movie actress, Vera Krupp (she renamed it Spring Mountain Ranch), and millionaire Howard Hughes.

What can you do there today? Picnic areas are plenty, under the trees near where the meadows provide grassy places to play. You can visit many historical sites such as the Main Ranch House, and you can see and study desert as well as woodland plants. There are numerous species of animals, although most are nocturnal and some reside only in the higher elevations. Stop at the Visitor Information Center to find out about guided or unguided tours. Since it's a state park, there is a nominal fee per vehicle to enter. Living History programs are also available, with people in costume re-enacting the life and skills of early settlers.

Super Summer Theatre is an outdoor theatre located at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Bring a picnic and a large blanket or rent beach chairs and enjoy the show in the open air. It's a great family activity. Something for everyone - food, theatre, room for the kids to roam, close to town, yet MUCH cooler (bring your sweaters).

How to find all this luscious coolness? For the park, call 702-875-4141, email smrrangers@parks.nv.gov, or see the website www.parks.nv.gov smr.htm. For Super Summer Theatre, call 594-PLAY or see www.supersummertheatre.com

Utah National Parks

For a long weekend or week's trip, another favorite summer respite is to visit the Utah National Parks. Zion National Park is where the Virgin River carved through the sandstone to fashion spectacular scenery. Available are self-guided tours, demanding hikes, trails with stroller and wheelchair access, mountain biking, and animal, plant and geology workshops. I love best the fresh mountain air and the space and time to feel at one with nature. Abundant photo opportunities! Zion is 2_-3 hours from Las Vegas.

If you have more than a week, take the circle tour of National Parks: Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park (all in southern Utah), Mesa Verde National Park (just across the border in Colorado) and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (in Arizona, but accessed through Southern Utah). Visit www.utah.com nationalparks. Each park has a link on that site. Investigate the information, including a monthly newsletter.

So, close up the house, pack up the suitcases, the kids, and their books, and travel to higher ground. Read! Be safe! Have fun!!