[M&M]

Thinking about a trip to Vegas this summer on the Wing. Idealy, I would like to hit the dry season, and off season for crowds. Options are looking like July, Aug., or Sept.

Any suggestions on when to go, and just as important, when not to go?

Thanks in advance
Mack

 

[Bartman]

There is no way in hell I would visit LV during July, August or Setpember. God it's hot during those months. The middle of April till the end of May or the middle of October till the end of November is the best time.

Being on a bike during the months you indicated is like taking a bath in a 300° oven.

JMHO.

Bartman

 

[ziggystyles]

There are a couple of Vegasians on here...I used to be one of them. If you go to Vegas...even when it rains....its going to be dry the next day practically.

Don't go there in the summer expecting the dryness to take away the heat...making it a 'dry heat' as 120 in the sun on hot cement or hot asphalt and everything is cement or metal around you reflecting it....its damn hot all day long and even during the night in the summer time.

 

[WingWing]

Sept-Oct-Nov is OK

mid to end Oct is best.

Other than that, it's either hot and windy or cold and windy.

Least crowds after Thanksgiving but before Christmas.

Dennis

 

[Dream Catcher]

Best time to go to Vegas.....
When somebody else is paying?
When you don't have any money to lose?
When your in-laws are coming to your house?
When you've got to get rid of some money that doesn't have a paper trail?
When you've reached your goal of being "up to your neck in debt",
and you want to celebrate the filing of the bankruptcy papers?
When you're tired of carrying around that bag of cash that fell off the armored truck?
When the paperboy has cashed your social security check and you've got money to burn?
When you have some discretionary funds and you want to spend them
before the urge hits to buy more crap to stick on your Wing?
When you've reached the breaking point and are now fully brainwashed
by those idiotic commercials "What happens in Vegas...Stays in Vegas"?
When "What happened in Vegas.." Didn't stay in Vegas, and your wife kicked you out?
When you don't really know what happened in Vegas...
But you're gonna go there and make the wife come back home?
:lol: :lol:
Whenever you go Mack...Hope you have a great time there and while goin' and comin' back!
DC

 

[Rum Runner]

After winning the Lottery?

 

[sumdumbperson]

I used to have a vacation house out there. Absolutely the best place to launch for trips all over the west. Sure it is hot in the summer but so what? It also gets cold in the winter. I went to Death Valley in the middle of June. Hot but so awesome! Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia National parks. I rode all year round out there. Same as NJ. Just dress appropriately and you are good to go. June July and August are the hottest months and December and January being the coldest.

 

[Son of Thunder]

I'd come in the spring or fall, not in the summer, for reasons already mentioned, and they weren't exaggerating. Right now's a great time. Rain? We normally get about 4 inches a year, so what are your odds of picking a rainy day? Summers, especially July and August, seem to get a bit muggy (for here) when the weather comes up from the south.

 

[bigchief03]

Riding, driving or flying? If the latter two, it doesn't matter when, as much as where you stay and what you plan to do. Casinos are nearly freezing in summer with their cooling plants keeping them on a scale of comfortable to cold. So, you'll be indoors a lot in July and August. Early mornings are beautiful, though, before the heat sets in. If I was doing any walking, that would be the time.

Riding - another story. I was there in mid-September several times on the bike....both times were fine. Mid-afternoon can still be warm, maybe even near 100, but morning and evenings are cooler and very tolerable for riding.

I don't stay on the Strip anymore - too busy and I really don't like their casinos for play. Not that they are more unlucky than other ones. It really doesn't matter. It's just that my favorite places to eat and to hang out are off Strip, at the Orleans, Sunset Station, Green Valley Ranch, Suncoast or Red Rock. If I were coming in from far out of town, though, and it was an only visit this year, I'd make it easier to see the known sights - stay near the MGM area at one end of the strip, or at the Mirage/Treasure Island end of the Strip. I'd avoid the far north end of the Strip, except to "see" a couple of things there at some point of your visit.

Remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. (They are mostly referring to your money.)

 

[Rastoff]

Given the parameters you listed, I would plan for September. While I don't live in Vegas, the climate is the same as here and I do get to Vegas about three or four times a year.

Rain isn't an issue. Even if it doesn rain it only lasts a few minutes to an hour at the most. Oil is more of an issue. Since it rarely rains the oil never gets washed off the streets. This is at its worst just after a short rain. Vegas has the slipperiest streets I've ever been on. Be careful.

Are you planning on hanging out in the casinos or riding around the countryside? There are some great rides to be had, but the traffic in the city is terrible. It rivals LA for congestion. Be prepared to spend at least 20 minutes longer than you expected to get around.

 

[Cliflyri]

We like to go the beginning of Feb. It's generally nice, mid to high 60's in the day (though in the sun it feels much hotter) and mid 40's at night. Just perfect for us. In the past 4 years I don't think we've seen any rain on our trips there at that time. Seems like a nice time as far as not too crowded too, but weekends still get crowded and we generally wander away for day trips during weekends there. Have fun!

 

[gpick]

If the reason to go to Vegas is to begin a ride, then the time after Labor Day and the first week of November are perfect. No rain and good temps in the higher elevations of Utah which is the reason to ride from Vegas. I began my trip the day after Halloween. The roads were Winnebago free. Free of anything actually. No crowds in the parks. Temps after 10:00 AM in the 50's and 60's. Gorgeous!

http://picasaweb.google.com/apickren/UtahTripDay2

http://picasaweb.google.com/apickren/UtahTripDay3

http://picasaweb.google.com/apickren/UtahTripDay4

 

[mp06011999]

I believe you said you are planning a ride on the Wing to Vegas from KY.?

Don’t plan it in July or August because it will be uncomfortably hot here (Vegas) to enjoy riding around town. Any other time of the year the Vegas weather is fine for riding. I rode last weekend (& will again this weekend) from Vegas to Death Valley. It is cold in the AM and at elevation. The coldest last weeks ride got was 31 (at elevation) crossing Mountain Pass and the warmest was 58 at Death Valley Junction. Nice ride though all the way.

Never worry about Vegas rain. I honestly think it rains about 10 hours a year. Usually we get 20 minutes worth and rarely an all day rain. All day rains happen about once or twice a year. It is cold here at night in the winter though. Suppose to be 31 tonight. It’s 61 today and clear as always. Be aware though that when it does rain in Vegas the roads get very slick from the build up of oil & grime.

Just don’t try it in the heat of summer and you’ll be good as far as here. I’ve made the drive from here to Detroit & Fla. several times. You need to be concerned with the route for what time of year you’re traveling. In general, take the southern most route in winter (through El Paso) & one of the northern routes in summer (through Denver or Albuquerque).

I rode my Wing from Mississippi to Vegas last July going through Albuquerque. I got rained on HARD somewhere in Arkansas and again just before Flagstaff. It took 3.5 days (1800 miles) because I had to stop due to blinding rain in Arkansas and slow way up in Texas due to some pretty nasty crosswinds. At a stop for fuel in Flagstaff some cagers that had been shadowing me for a couple hundred miles came over and asked how in the Hell I was able to keep riding in the wind and rain. That was cool. The coldest it got for my day riding on that route was 56 through the Flagstaff elevation. And of course it was about 110 when I hit Arizona just outside of Vegas. I remember the dry mountains were ablaze from lightning strikes from Kingman, AZ to the NV border. It's common for it to lightning with or without rain ever hitting the ground in the mountains here. Look up "Virga".


Plan it well. Leave lots of time for adjusting your trip around the weather in route. I’d say for safety and enjoyment to plan 4 days each way. You could always do it faster, but you’d miss the journey.

Once here, you will love it. Ride up to Mount Charleston (8000ft MSL) North up the 95 and look for the signs. It’s very pretty and only about 1 hour one way from the edge of town. Lots of bikers head up there all through the 3 seasons.

Enjoy…………

 

[Crab Killer]

After living in Vegas for One year, I say about 3:00 am in the morning at about 80 MPH. The traffic is something else. As for the town, I'll pass.

 

[M&M]

Many thanks to all for your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. Still a few months to make up my mind on what to do.

Thanks again
Mack

 

[biglefti]

Actually those are the wet months in Vegas, it is called Monsoon Season. The perfect time to visit Vegas is Feb, Mar, April, Oct, Nov. The crowds are there year around. I visit there 4 or 5 times each year due to some family living there. There are a few nice rides, but nothing less than 50 miles from town (in my opinion).

Thinking about a trip to Vegas this summer on the Wing. Idealy, I would like to hit the dry season, and off season for crowds. Options are looking like July, Aug., or Sept.

Any suggestions on when to go, and just as important, when not to go?

Thanks in advance
Mack

 

[oldguy]

actually coming from Kentucy, I'd find it more comfortable in Vegas in August than in the parts of Kentucky I've visited. I have a harder time with humidity. Of course since I'm from Arizona, the summer in Vegas is no change for me so time of year matters not at all. Vegas is pretty crowded year round now. A lot depends on what convention or event is in town also.

 

[jbivens544]

Vegas

The wife and I went last summer and it was 105 degrees or more for the entire 10 days we were there. One day it hit 111. We saw a cloud on the last day we were there. (Just one, small, cotton ball white, cloud).
Riding up and down the strip is to be avoided at all costs. Traffic lights take over a minute to cycle. They are not sequenced from intersection to intersection so you catch a lot of lights.
Your feet tend to want to slip out from under you on the hot asphalt.
One day the wife became so hot that she almost passed out. I had to pull into a 7-11 type market and grab some ice out of a barrel containing soft drinks and put it on her neck and forehead. We each had two 16 ounce bottles of water that day, and they were empty within the first hour of riding up and down the strip. No sweating, no urinating. It is like driving in a convection oven. You know its bad when you are trying to put you SO in the shade of a palm tree trunk while waiting for the lights to change. (About a six inch wide shadow). In parts of downtown, walkers were able to travel faster on the sidewalk that we could drive on the street and they didn't have to have a helmet on.
Helmet law is enforced.
If you want to ride and escape the heat, take a ride up to Mount Charleston. Nice gentle twisties, 20 degrees cooler than downtown, but watch out for the falling rocks.
There is a nice little restaurant at the top that seems to attract motorcycle riders. There had to be 50 bikes there when we arrived. Avoid the loose gravel parking lot as we saw a couple of bikes dropped in that section.
Locals will discourage you from riding in the desert and claim that all bikes will overheat.
You can also visit Red Rocks, or go to the lake for a swim.
People drive fast and there are quite a few police "taking pictures" once you leave town. We went by several speed traps at 15 MPH over the speed limit and didn't even rate a look.
The faster you drive, the faster you dehydrate.
I suggest late fall or early spring as a better time to ride a bike in Vegas.
When you check into your hotel, I suggest Valet parking. They will let you park it yourself in a shady area if one is available. This does not mean that your bike is safe from theft. Vegas has a very high rate of motorcycle theft.