At first glance, Las Vegas may not seem like the most ideal location for a new family who loves all things outdoors — BUT we completely disagree!
Our first trip here was with two of our closest friends as we were all beginning to lead climb and boulder. We heard about Red Rock Canyon and Kraft Mountain boulders from climbers in our climbing gym, so we bought the guide books and booked our flights! Since that first trip, Las Vegas has been the gold standard location for all types of outdoor fun.
Rock Climbing
We live within 20 minutes of thousands of rock climbing routes — most of which have straight-forward parking lots and approaches. We know how to lead climb and we love to boulder, but we also knew there are so many opportunities to learn new disciplines of rock climbing here — such as multi-pitch climbing. Knowing we live in an area where there are opportunities for growth and learning new types of skills is very exciting to us.
Hiking
From Red Rock Canyon to Mt. Charleston/Lee Canyon to Lake Mead, there is so much variety in the types of hikes you can explore within an hour of your home AND with options year-round. On top of that, for weekends, there are so many national (and state) parks and recreational lands within four hours include Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Valley of Fire….
Cheap Flights/Cost of Living
Coming from an area that had a reasonably low cost of living compared to most parts of the country, we found that Las Vegas offers so much of what we love for a “not-so-bad” cost of living. We also love having the world feel a little smaller with the potential to fly most anywhere for pretty cheap — including visits back to parents and family, as well as vacations in Hawaii. 🙂
Food
Before making the decision to move here and to buy a home here, we stayed in Las Vegas for a month. As vegans, not all cities are created equal when we look for places to eat! In our month-long stay, we were flabbergasted by the amount of vegan restaurants located and thriving in Las Vegas. We still have yet to try all of the all-vegan restaurants in Las Vegas, because there are so many. Plus everywhere we end up, it is almost always guaranteed there is a quality veggie dish option!
