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Suggest a Feature →Las Vegas Valley & the Nevada Desert
You're in Las Vegas. The Strip is 10 miles away. Plan accordingly.
Nellis AFB is 10 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip — home to the Air Force Warfare Center, the Thunderbirds, and the most sophisticated combat training airspace in the world (the Nevada Test and Training Range). The assignment is Las Vegas, which requires exactly as much self-awareness about that fact as the job does.
Las Vegas is not just casinos. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is 25 minutes west — one of the finest rock climbing destinations in the US. Valley of Fire State Park is 55 minutes east. Death Valley National Park is 2 hours west. Zion National Park is 2.5 hours north. The surrounding desert Southwest is spectacular, and Las Vegas is the logistics hub for accessing it.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Bazaar Meat by José Andrés (SLS Las Vegas)
"The best restaurant in Las Vegas by most measures."
José Andrés's Bazaar Meat is a temple to protein — extraordinary cuts, Spanish-influenced preparations, and a cocktail program that matches the food. This is the Strip restaurant experience at its best.
In-N-Out Burger (Multiple locations)
"The Nevada In-N-Out. Available at 3am. Essential."
Las Vegas In-N-Out locations are open late to accommodate the casino schedule. The Las Vegas Strip location is one of the highest-volume In-N-Outs in the chain.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
Valley of Fire State Park
"Nevada's oldest state park. Prehistoric petroglyphs and Aztec sandstone."
Valley of Fire is 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas — 40,000 acres of Jurassic Aztec sandstone formations that burn red in the afternoon light. The prehistoric petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock and Mouse's Tank are among the best in Nevada. The White Domes area has narrow slot canyons.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
The Mob Museum (Las Vegas)
"The FBI, the Mob, and how they built Las Vegas together."
The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement is housed in the actual federal courthouse where Kefauver Committee hearings on organized crime were held. The museum traces the organized crime influence on Las Vegas from the 1940s through the casino cleaning operation in the 1980s.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Springs Preserve
"The original water source for Las Vegas. Now a desert museum and nature park."
The Springs Preserve marks the original springs that made Las Vegas habitable. The 180-acre site has indoor exhibits on Nevada natural history and water, an outdoor desert garden, hiking trails, and butterfly garden. A genuine nature escape within the city.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"The Narrows, Angels Landing, and the most visited National Park in Utah."
Zion is 160 miles from Las Vegas on US-89 — a spectacular drive through the Virgin River Gorge and into the red rock country of southern Utah. The Narrows (hiking up the Virgin River in the canyon bottom) and Angels Landing (chains assist the final exposed ridge) are the signature hikes. Book permits months ahead for Angels Landing.
Nellis personnel have access to MWR facilities that include Lake Mead recreation and the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort.
The 24-hour lifestyle of Las Vegas is real and needs management. Establish a sleep schedule early.
Red Rock Conservation Area reservations are required on weekends — book ahead.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level, lowest point in North America) is 2 hours from Nellis.
Las Vegas has world-class restaurants at every budget level. The casino buffet era is over — the Strip has legitimate dining.
Las Vegas is the assignment most likely to cause financial problems. The entertainment is continuous, the lifestyle is expensive, and the gambling is designed to extract money efficiently. Financial discipline is not optional here.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.