5. Gold Strike Hot Springs—Boulder City, Nevada
Even folks who live in Las Vegas don’t know that they have natural hot springs not far from the Vegas strip, only 40 minutes away. The trailhead sits between Boulder City and the Hoover Dam. The walk in is a moderate one until it’s not. There are some tough spots where one needs to grab onto a rope to traverse boulders, but once there, the serenity is deafening. Walls of rock rise up from the desert floor, surrounding the pools, ensuring that nobody will hear you scream when a mouse scurries by.
