Las Vegas is generally known for its strip of extravagant hotel casinos. If you’re into neon lights, poker, and fake pyramids, Las Vegas is the place to be. And for the off-roaders whose interests are a little more down to earth than the thrills of the strip, we’ve got great news: Vegas is still the place to be. It’s surrounded by loads of epic 4×4 trails! Here are some you should consider checking out.

Tie Rod Canyon
This is a difficult rock crawling trail. The main challenges are undercut ledges and boulders, and you’ll also travel through a canyon. It’s got flat desert, a mountain pass, and (of course) a canyon, in that order. The best part of this trail is that it can be run in either direction, allowing you to customize the difficulty a little bit. The easier direction is starting with the flat desert, and if you’d like to amp up the challenge, start at the canyon.

Rocky Gap
Rocky Gap is a local favorite and has 2 names: some call it Rocky Gap and others know it as Potato Ridge Gap. Personally, I’m rocking with Potato Ridge Gap. It seems like a more playful name, and off-roading is all about playing. Most of the road is dirt and gravel and there are several washes and rock gardens to conquer on the way (all but one have bypasses). 

Wheeler Pass
What started out as the road from Bennett’s Ranch to Indian creek, has now become the iconic Wheeler Pass. A large part of the trail is made of maintained dirt roads, but there are boulders and sandy washes throughout. 4WD is recommended to traverse the boulders. Keep an eye out for wild horses along your drive, they’re often spotted in this area.

If casinos aren’t your thing, look into these epic trails. In our opinion they are way more fun.