Find the spirit of adventure in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is more than an adult’s playground – if you venture off the beaten track. Unravel the riddle of the sands in Las Vegas with a host of adventures above, below and beyond the ordinary.

Reach for the Sky

Take a skydiving trip over Las Vegas, where you’ll have a bird’s eye view of both The Strip in all its glory and the incredible surrounding desert-scape. Vegas Extreme Skydiving offers solo or tandem dives, dropping from nearly two miles above the city and descending at 120 mph, before putting the air brakes on to enjoy the views over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Colorado River. Prices from $199 – visit vegasextremeskydiving.com.

For those who can’t face the thought of jumping, there is also Vegas Indoor Skydiving. America's first vertical wind tunnel gives all the fun of flying, without the fear of falling. Prices from $75 – visit vegasindoorskydiving.com.

Desert Encounters

Have a close encounter of your own kind with a trip into the Mojave Desert. The unearthly landscape, where Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic was filmed, is unlike anywhere else in the world and is filled with adventure: visit one of the many ghost towns and gold mines or explore Red Rock Canyon, a 197,000-acre national park with 30 miles of trails. Hiking, mountain-biking, horse-riding and rock-climbing tours are all available, with prices from $69 per person. Visit visitlasvegas.com/vegas/play for more information.

Also take a trip to Valley of Fire State Park, which comprises scenic landscapes, hidden canyons and unique red rock formations. Petroglyphs and remains of ancient Native American civilizations can be viewed here and a Nevada Park Service visitors center provides tourist information. Mojave National Preserve is a 1.6-million-acre preserve, which protects one of the most diverse environments in the world. The preserve is filled with sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests and mile-high mountains.

Strap on some skis

Mt. Charleston is a short trip from Las Vegas, yet a whole other world away. An average of 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston is perfect for skiing, picnicking, hiking and horseback riding. In addition to year-round hotel accommodations and tours, full-service camping is also available from May through September.

Pick up a paddle

For a desert state, Nevada sure has a lot of water. Visitors can kayak, rent a houseboat, canoe and raft on Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and of course, the Colorado River – the perfect way to view some of the state’s most iconic attractions. Options range from half-day tours to multi-night camping trips, with prices starting from $69 per person. Visit desertadventureslv.com.

Get behind the wheel

America is the home of the motorcar, so where better to take a spin around a racetrack? At the Mario Andretti Racing School at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, car enthusiasts have the chance to buckle up and ride laps in an Indy-style or NASCAR machine, travelling at speeds of up to 180mph. Prices start from $129 per person – visit andrettigordon.com for more information. Even more thrilling, on 15 November 2009 legendary racing-car driver Mario Andretti, will be hosting a ‘Fantasy Day’ giving fans the chance to ride with him in an Indy-style race car ($999 per person), or to take the wheel themselves of three different cars ($4,999).

Mother Nature at her finest

The Grand Canyon in western Arizona lies approximately 480 kilometers or a one-hour flight from Las Vegas. Over millions of years, the Colorado River carved this natural wonder that is one mile deep and 277 miles long. Sightseeing air tours and ground tours of the Grand Canyon depart Las Vegas daily for half-day, full-day and
overnight excursions.

Grand Canyon West, a destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, is home to The Skywalk. This modern-day marvel is the first-ever cantilever-shaped glass walkway to suspend more than 4,000 feet above the canyon's floor and extend 70 feet from the canyon's rim.

For a full list of hotel accommodations, entertainment, dining and everything that Las Vegas has to offer sports fans, go to VisitLasVegas.co.uk.