One Of Las Vegas' Best Neighborhoods Offers Lush Parks And Mature Trees Just Minutes From The Strip

Want to experience Sin City while still getting decent sleep? Take a 12-minute drive about 5 miles west from the glitzy Las Vegas Strip, and you will come across Spring Valley, Nevada. Created in the 70s, the unincorporated town of Spring Valley was designed to be a suburban community close to Las Vegas. Today, it ranks as one of Las Vegas' most livable neighborhoods and has a chill, family-friendly vibe in an unbeatable location.

Covering a 33-square-mile radius with a population of over 200,000, the town is watched over by the Spring Valley Mountain range. It's home to Las Vegas' Chinatown, with its array of mouth-watering dishes, and a waterpark for when you need to cool off after a day in the desert sun. Spring Valley is also an under 20-minute drive from Harry Reid International Airport, so it could be a great rest stop before you go adventuring along Nevada's famous extraterrestrial highway and exploring this sleepy town with sand dune trails and otherworldly scenery. 

This may be the desert, but as you drive around Spring Valley, you will see the distant Spring Valley mountain range greeting you on the horizon and rows of trees lining the streets. This region is home to a variety of mature trees, including pinyon pines, Utah junipers, white firs, Rocky Mountain maples, and desert willows. Trekkers visiting nearby state parks may even spot wildlife including deer, skunks, coyotes, and bobcats.

Spring Valley doesn't have any famous hotels or all-night casinos, so this is the place to be if you want to visit Las Vegas and enjoy wholesome nights in a friendly suburb. The neighborhood isn't devoid of nightlife or entertainment, however, because Las Vegas' Chinatown is located here. Explore this area's excellent restaurants, and learn about Asian cultures and traditions during Chinatown's range of festivals, cultural events, and performances throughout the year. The neighborhood also has spas, bars, a machine gun shooting range, a wreck room, and karaoke.

Spring Valley's lush parks give you space to relax away from the Strip and enjoy a picnic, play sports, and soak up some greenery. Spring Valley Community Park has trails, a nearby baseball field, a play area for the kids, and tons of picnic spots, while Desert Breeze Park sprawls across over 200 acres with a dog park, a play area, walking trails, and several athletic fields.

Then you have Spring Valley State Park. About half an hour's drive from Spring Valley, this park is an oasis of trees and wildlife living alongside the rocky volcanic landscape. Visitors can enjoy activities like boating around the park's Eagle Valley Reservoir, fishing, hiking, and even camping. If that isn't enough outdoor action, Red Rock Canyon is around 15 minutes away from Spring Valley by car. 

At Red Rock Canyon, visitors can drive along the 13-mile one-way road and gawp at desert views. The rocks here are an arid, otherworldly mix of red, pink, and white. See it up close by hiking, scrambling, horseback riding, biking, or climbing up and around the rocky mountains. And if you fancy some more spectacular views of geological wonders, Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park is only an hour's drive away from Spring Valley.