Visit Nevada State Parks For Free On Free Adventure Day 2024

On June 8, the Silver State will be celebrating Free Adventure Day 2024. And for one day only, entrance fees will be waived for all Nevada State Parks for all visitors. The event gives tourists and locals an excellent opportunity to see all the nature and recreational activities that Nevada's parks have to offer.

Free Adventure Day 2024 is coinciding with Nevada Free Fishing Day. So anyone who is participating in fishing without the worry of a license can fish at a state park with free admission too. We don't have much fishing at our state parks in Southern Nevada, but there are a lot of other options when it comes to activities. And parks.nv.gov reports that there are four state parks within an hour drive of Las Vegas to experience for free on June 8.

According to parks.nv.gov, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is home to some of the oldest buildings in Nevada. Adjacent to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on Hwy 159, Spring Mountain Ranch is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer months. They offer guided tours where visitors can see historic buildings. Including a blacksmith shop from the 1860's, and the home and ranch house used by the ranch's founding family.

Big horn sheep, mule deer, and wild burros are among the wildlife visitors can see at the ranch. Check out the video from KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas showing how much there is to see and do at this state park.

All that nature and history to see and less than 20 minutes from the center of Las Vegas.

Anyone who has driven into Las Vegas from the north has been pleasantly surprised when passing Valley of Fire State Park. The red and white rock formations have such gorgeous patterns on their surfaces. One of the many reasons that the area is quite popular among campers and hikers. The park is also famous for its interesting rock formations, like Elephant Rock.

In total, Valley of Fire is made up of 40,000 acres of Aztec sandstone surrounded by limestone, parks.nv.gov reports. With petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years. The park is open everyday, all year long. However, due to high heat danger, the hiking trails are closed from May through September.

Some people might not realize we have a state park in what is now Downtown Las Vegas. Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park is located at 500 East Washington Avenue, just north of the Las Vegas History Museum. The fort is the oldest non-native settlement in the Las Vegas Valley, parks.nv.gov reports. It was built in 1855 along a creek, and served as a way station for travelers journeying through the valley. It was the only free-flowing water for miles so it also provided irrigation for nearby fields and orchards.

That tiny creek was a huge part of Las Vegas becoming a part of the Old Spanish Trail and eventually becoming the city we know it as today. Visitors can stop by and learn the history of the first settlers in Las Vegas as well as how the fort changed hands over the years. There are also a lot of historic artifacts to see as well as a Visitors Centers with photos and exhibits. And if you have kids, stop by the Visitors Center for the kid's scavenger hunt.

When people think of Las Vegas, things like casinos, neon lights, and glittering showgirls come to mind. But there's a rich history of fossils just beneath our city's surface. And much of that history can be explored at Ice Age Fossils State Park. The newest state park in Nevada, located in North Las Vegas in Tule Springs, is 315 acres of fossils and other artifacts, and is the largest collection of Pleistocene fossils in the Southwest, according to parks.nv.gov.

Less than minutes away from the Strip, the state park has trenches that were cut by scientists to study the history of the ice age and the mammals that roamed the Vegas Valley up until about 12,000 years ago. There are various trails that visitors can walk, including the Megafauna Trail that has life-sized sculptures of the animal that used to live in the area. The park is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Ice Age Fossils State Park just opened in January. KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas reported on the grand opening.

Admission is free for our Nevada State Parks on Free Adventure Day 2024. However, other fees will still apply. Including camping, group use and boating fees.

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Great Basin National Park in Nevada was just deemed one of the most underrated in the entire country, in spite of being rife with beautiful scenery and history. An American national park is one that has become so known for its nature and wildlife that the American government protects and preserves it.

The Silver State is home to many national areas, but only two of them are considered national parks by the National Park Service (NPS). When people are asked to name the national parks in Nevada, most people will immediately say Death Valley. It's easily the most popular, especially for its famous movie sets.

Related: Death Valley National Park - 25 Reasons To Visit This Stunning Park

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is recognized by the NPS, but not officially labeled a park. Other such areas include the Tule Springs Fossil Beds Monument and various national historic trails, including the California, Old Spanish and Pony Express trails.

A vacation rental platform called Lake.com recently conducted a survey to determine what the most underrated national parks are in the country. They did this by looking at data from the last year from NPS, specifically which parks had fewer than 750,000 visitors. Combining this with the number of visitor reviews and ratings, the experts came up with the top parks considered hidden gems in America.

#1 - North Cascades National Park

Located in Washington State, North Cascades is officially the most underrated national park, according to the study. It is 500,000 acres of lakes, forests and snowy mountains to explore.

#2 - Isle Royale National Park

The second most underrated national park in America was deemed to be Isle Royale in Michigan. Located near Lake Superior, the park is a popular spot for campers and hikers.

#3 - Dry Tortugas National Park

The title of third most underrated national park went to Dry Tortugas. Located in Key West, Florida. The area is just seven islands accessible only by plane or boat. The park is mostly water.

The fourth and fifth national parks considered the most underrated in the study are Gates of The Arctic and Wrangell-St. Elias, respectivly. Both parks are located in Alaska and known for their scenic rivers and artic beauty.

#6 - Great Basin National Park

As mentioned before, Death Valley National Park is the more popular of the preserved areas in the Silver State. It's the other Nevada national park that doesn't get nearly enough attention. Great Basin National Park is located on the eastern border of Nevada, just west of Sevier Lake, Utah. Much like Death Valley National Park, Great Basin is a popular spot for campers because of the amazing views of the stars at night.

But unlike Death Valley, Great Basin National Park offers a lot of really cool caves to explore. The Lehman Caves are full of beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites. According to nps.gov, the Lehman Caves are the longest cave system in the Silver State and have been providing guided tours to visitors since 1885.

Great Basin National Park is also home to the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak. A highly coveted place for photographers because of the amazing views and beautiful bristlecone pine trees that cover much of the park. And much like Death Valley, Great Basin shows off a lot of Nevada's history. The area has been home to native Americans for thousands of years, and still shows signs of more recent settlers as well.

So, with the oldest cave system in Nevada, some of the oldest trees on the planet, beautiful lakes and hiking trails, and plenty of American history, it's clear to see why Great Basin is one of the most underrated national parks in America. Here are 10 photos that show why this hidden gem might need to be on your next road trip through the Silver State.

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