This prehistoric landscape 30 minutes from town is home to ancient fossil beds and the extraordinary yields of the Big Dig, a major 1960s excavation that found the bones of mammoths, camels, and lions. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Hop in a four-wheel-drive vehicle for some off-road adventures in the Mojave Desert, or wait until dusk for jackrabbits and bobcats to emerge after the heat of the day has disappeared. Thirty minutes northwest of North Las Vegas, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a 1.6-million-acre protected complex encompassing six major mountain ranges. Hiking trails boast vistas of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Lake Mohave with its purple mountains and red rock, while almost 300 square miles of water across the lakes give you plenty of chances to catch crappie, trout, and striped bass. This extraordinary national park extends over 1.5 million acres of mountains, valleys, canyons, and lakes.