Las Vegas with Kids & Hoover Dam
Go deep inside Hoover Dam, drive past red rock cliffs and finish with a desert museum day. Vegas works for families too.
8.5 hrs drive · 4–5 days · Best for little kids to teens · Oct–May
Day 1: Drive to Vegas
- 7:00 Leave SF on I-5 south
- 10:30 Break in Bakersfield
- 1:30 Lunch in Barstow
- 4:30 Check in, swim in the pool
Day 2: Hoover Dam
- 8:30 Drive about 45 min to the dam
- 9:00 Visitor Center opens. Take the Powerplant Tour
- 11:00 Walk across the top of the dam
- 12:30 Lunch in Boulder City
- 3:30 Pool time
Day 3: Red Rock Canyon
- 7:30 Start the 13-mile Scenic Drive before the 8am reservation window
- 9:30 Short hike and rock scrambling
- 12:00 Visitor Center exhibits
- 6:00 Evening walk on the Strip
Day 4: Springs Preserve
- 10:00 Museums, live animals and a flash flood exhibit
- 12:30 Lunch, then the playground and train
- 3:30 Rest at the hotel
- 7:00 Family show or dinner
Day 5: Drive home
- 7:30 Leave Vegas
- 11:00 Lunch in Barstow
- 2:00 Bakersfield break
- 5:00 Home
From parents who have been
- The Powerplant Tour has no age limit. It runs about 45 minutes and takes an elevator 500+ feet down. The longer Dam Tour with the inspection tunnels is ages 8 and up, so don't promise tunnels to younger kids. Travel for Kids
- The closest lot is the paid Nevada-side garage. The free lots on the Arizona side are up to a 10-minute walk with no shade, which is hard with small kids in the heat. Learning Escapes
- Kids' favorites at the visitor center were the box that makes electricity and a team game where one person generates power while the other turns on appliances. Tours are least crowded 9 to 10:30 am and 3 to 4:45 pm, and January and February are quietest. Learning Escapes
- At Red Rock, small kids can do the 0.6-mile Red Springs Boardwalk or Calico Basin, which has big red climbing boulders about half a mile in. First Creek Canyon is a mostly flat 4-mile round trip to a hidden waterfall for older kids. Islands
- Springs Preserve has over 3 miles of trails and the attractions are far apart, so bring a stroller for toddlers. It has a train, butterflies, a splash pad and a playground. Divine Cafe's patio has a skyline view. Islands
- Free and kid-friendly: the Bellagio fountains and conservatory, and Downtown Container Park's gated playground and giant treehouse. A local mom suggests Vdara as a quieter non-gaming Strip hotel, and midweek pool deals for the MGM lazy river. Islands
Good to know
- The Hoover Dam Powerplant Tour is $25 for adults and $15 for ages 4–16. Kids 3 and under are free. The longer Dam Tour is $40, is sold on-site only and does not allow strollers.
- Hoover Dam tours run 9am to 5pm, and the last tour leaves at 4:10pm. Parking in the Nevada garage is $10. Expect a vehicle security check, and leave pocketknives and drones behind.
- Red Rock Canyon needs a timed reservation from 8am to 5pm, Oct 1 to May 31. Entry is $20 per car, and America the Beautiful passes work. You can enter before 8am without a reservation.
- Springs Preserve museums are open 10am to 4pm in fall and winter.
Sources: Bureau of Reclamation Hoover Dam tours · 8 News Now Red Rock timed entry · Red Rock Canyon Conservation Assn · Travel Nevada Springs Preserve