Hotels near Goldstrike Canyon

Goldstrike Canyon is the most spectacular and the most dangerous canyon hike near Las Vegas, and it belongs on this list with the warnings attached. The route drops 8 km (5 miles) round trip through a Black Canyon side gorge to hot spring pools above the Colorado River, losing and then regaining roughly 300 m (1,000 ft) at a very strenuous, expert-only grade. Budget 5 to 7 hours. There are eight fixed-rope descents on the way down, and hauling yourself back up them at the end of the day, in a canyon that traps heat, is the real hike.

The National Park Service has closed Goldstrike Canyon and the neighbouring Arizona Hot Spring trail from 15 May to 30 September every year since 2016. Two hikers died here on a single day in June 2003. Spring water emerges at 43°C (109°F) and the pools run 37 to 43°C, which raises rather than lowers your core temperature, so soaking is a cold-weather activity only. Park guidance is to keep your head above the water. The canyon also floods fast in storms.

Pro Tip: Go in December or January, start at first light, and carry 4 litres of water per person plus gloves for the ropes. If anyone in your group is unsure about descending a knotted rope on loose gravel, do the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail near Boulder City instead - it is flat, open all year, and nobody has to be rescued from it.