Las Vegas Springs
Las Vegas Springs produces 79-degree water from 2,125 feet elevation at the historic springs that gave Nevada's largest city its name. Located 69.2 meters from the nearest road in Clark County, this barely-thermal feature maintains only a 10.2-degree differential above the 68.8-degree average annual temperature, yet represents the crucial water source that shaped southern Nevada settlement.
The spring emerges in the low Mojave Desert environment that receives just 4.8 inches of annual precipitation and less than an inch of snow. At 2,125 feet elevation, the site sits near the center of the Las Vegas valley, where development has completely transformed the landscape from the grass-covered meadows that marked the spring's outflow in the 1800s. The surrounding terrain is now urban—buildings, streets, and landscaping extending in all directions. The valley floor is bordered by mountain ranges on all sides, with Charleston Peak rising to 11,916 feet in the Spring Mountains 30 miles to the west. Average annual temperatures of 68.8 degrees make this among the warmest settings in the dataset.
Las Vegas takes its name directly from these springs, with las vegas" meaning "the meadows" in Spanish
describing the grasslands that the spring water sustained in this otherwise arid valley. The springs served as a critical waypoint on the Old Spanish Trail connecting Santa Fe to Los Angeles in the 1830s-1840s. Mormon settlers established a fort here in 1855
Is Las Vegas Springs worth visiting?
Best for
- Easy day trips
- Overnight camping trips
Overview Red Rock Canyon's standard, RV, and group campsites are located in the stunning Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, an approximate 20 mile drive from "The Las Vegas Strip." Visitors enjoy hiking, rock climbing, bike riding and scenic driving in this unique Mojave Desert environment. Note: If visitors would like to visit the scenic drive, they must have a separate timed entry reservation for each day they plan to enter the scenic drive. Reservations are required October 1 to...