Las Vegas: More Than World-Class Entertainment

Las Vegas is not only a destination for world-class entertainment, professional sports teams and high-profile events, but also now for a variety of outdoor sports and other events. Rock climbing and pickleball are drawing visitors and adding to Las Vegas’ already vast offerings.

Embracing the Great Outdoors

The spectacular Southwest landscape that surrounds Las Vegas’ neon lights includes rugged mountains, red rock canyons and deep desert valleys offering stunning scenery and nearly endless outdoor recreational opportunities. The region’s favorable climate and annual average of 320 days of sunshine makes outdoor activity around Las Vegas an attractive option year-round.

Activities waiting those looking for outdoor adventure include biking, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, horseback riding, water sports, off-road tours and more. The abundance of close by regional, state and national parks and recreation centers (Red Rock Canyon, home to renowned rock climbing, as well as Hoover Dam and Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Mojave National Preserve, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, Valley of Fire State Park and Mount Charleston among others) means there’s something for every outdoor enthusiast to enjoy.

“Southern Nevada's public lands at low and high elevations mean year-round outdoor recreation and a massive opportunity for tourism,” said Stephanie Forté, a writer and PR strategist who specializes in outdoor recreation. “For 30 years, Las Vegas has been an international destination for rock climbing. Today, the sport has exploded in growth thanks to the rapid increase of indoor climbing gym openings nationwide, its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics, and blockbuster films like The Dawn Wall and Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. According to the American Alpine Club's recent State of Climbing Report, this is no longer a ‘fringe sport,’ as rock climbing travel generates $10.8 billion.”

That world-class rock climbing has drawn visits from world-class climbers, both as visitors and residents. The star of Free Solo, Alex Honnold has a home in Las Vegas. David Allfrey, who has partnered with Honnold to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan, also calls Las Vegas home.

Outdoor recreation areas and Las Vegas’ extended destinations including Laughlin, Mesquite and Boulder City offer a wealth of outdoor options and visitors are building those destinations into their plans. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s 2021 Visitor Profile Study, about 12% of visitors said they planned to visit other nearby places before or after their trip to Las Vegas. The most often cited places were Hoover Dam (42%), the Grand Canyon (39%), Lake Mead (24%), and Laughlin (13%), Zion National Park (10%) Valley of Fire, Death Valley, and Red Rock Canyon (all 7%) and Bryce Canyon (6%).

Pickleball’s Rising Popularity

According to a Feb. 19, 2022 NPR story, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. It is gaining popularity across the world, which has led to the creation of the International Federation of Pickleball, helping to regulate the sport in countries like the U.S., Canada, France, England and Spain. Tony Spurlin, owner and founder of Las Vegas-based Excel Pickleball says in recent years, he’s seen pickleball’s popularity mirrored in southern Nevada.

“The COVID pandemic pushed a lot of people to outdoor activities, and pickleball was one of those activities because it’s easy to learn – within an hour of picking up a paddle, you can play the game,” Spurlin said. “It’s fun, social, easy to learn and inexpensive to get into the game.”

Spurlin originally started Excel Pickleball to manage USA Pickleball Association’s Mountain Regional tournament, which relocated to Las Vegas from Utah. The inaugural tournament was held in May 2021 at Sunset Park, which features 24 courts and drew approximately 1,200 players, with 85% of them traveling from out of state and 15% from in-state traveling south from the Reno area. The 2022 Mountain Regional, held in March, similarly attracted about 85% of its competitors from outside of Nevada.

And the growth continues – the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) will hold its national championship in Las Vegas this October for the third consecutive year, and in January 2023 will add another tournament stop at Sunset Park. As new events are added to the calendar, so are new courts, with the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson, as well as Clark County, all currently adding more dedicated pickleball facilities.