Nevada's Valley Of Fire Is One Of The Only Places On Earth To Experience This Ultra-Luxury Wellness Excursion

Las Vegas, Nevada — also known as Sin City — isn't typically synonymous with wellness. Movies like "The Hangover" and "Leaving Las Vegas" and even the city's own marketing reinforce this adult playground's reputation as a destination to party and indulge. There are, of course, infinite opportunities to drink and club hop until sunrise and eat porterhouse steaks, but visitors who are more health-focused have options, too. Fitness classes, spas, and swimming laps in the hotel pool are all good fitness choices, but there's still a world outside The Strip including five national parks in driving distance to Las Vegas. The one most people have heard of is Red Rock Canyon, but you could skip the crowds at Red Rocks for the fiery vistas of the Valley of Fire State Park.

Less than an hour from the Las Vegas Strip, Valley of Fire is best reached by rental car. It's easy to get a rideshare to the park, but not so easy to book a return ride. But you don't have to worry about that if you're traveling in style in a helicopter on the exclusive yoga excursion with Maverick Helicopters. Maverick offers sightseeing tours, excursions, and transfers in Nevada, California, and Hawaii. In Las Vegas, you could beat the traffic and take a helicopter from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for events like NASCAR races, however, the tour company offers a really special, one-of-a-kind experience far removed from the roar of the NASCAR engines: HeliYoga Limitless.

Maverick Helicopters named this experience HeliYoga Limitless for a simple reason: You take a helicopter to a spot for yoga in a location that offers limitless inspiration. With 40,000 acres of fiery red Aztec sandstone formations that date to when dinosaurs walked the Earth in the Jurassic period, Valley of Fire State Park is a natural wonder of mesas, canyons, and rocky outcrops in a variety of shades of red, orange, and pink. A magical place deeply rooted in ancient history, it also has petrified trees and 2,000-year-old petroglyphs.

In this rarefied environment, HeliYoga Limitless adventurers will do poses while soaking in the panoramic views. Led by an instructor, each 75-minute yoga session can be customized to the participants' skill levels. There's a maximum of six guests, so there will be no jockeying for a space to put your mat, craning your neck to see the instructor, or bumping into others around you. Not only is your class uncrowded, but so is your whole experience. 

The spot for your class is only reachable by helicopter, so you won't see another soul. The serenity is enhanced by a playlist curated for the HeliYoga Limitless location. After the yoga session, conclude with a flight over the Las Vegas Strip to see landmarks like The Sphere, the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas, and the towering Strat from an aerial perspective. The whole experience takes two-and-a-half hours, including a roundtrip flight time of 45 minutes. The cost is $3,999 and includes hotel to helicopter transfers.

If your soul is stirred by the scenic vistas and energy of the Valley of Fire and you'd like to explore the area more, rent a car and drive around the unique desert communities of Moapa Valley. The Muddy River cuts through the Mojave Desert, creating an oasis where Ancestral Puebloans left behind objects that provide insight into their civilization, which you can explore at the Lost City Museum in Overton about 20 minutes away. 

In the 1860s, Mormons settled in the valley, which they farmed for crops including cotton and fruit. Today, the area remains strongly Mormon — which doesn't mean you can't have any fun! Some popular activities on Tripadvisor include off-roading in an ATV, skydiving, and exploring a ghost town. Bird watchers will want to head over to the Overton Wildlife Management Area and Waterfowl Preserve to look for species including wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, and red-tailed hawks.

The North Shore Inn at Lake Mead in Overton is a good place to stay, at that's only eight miles from the Valley of Fire. It has an outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees and rates that start at under $100. It's about 25 miles from the Overton Arm of Lake Mead for boating and fishing. To keep exploring, take a scenic Southwestern road trip to Zion National Park on a 155-mile drive through three states. Or, to do day trips from Las Vegas, consider staying at the new W Las Vegas in Mandalay Bay, with rates around $300.