In a nutshell
Just 140 miles from Las Vegas, over the border into California is Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the hottest place in California. The vistas are extraordinary with Devil's Golf Course - a vast expanse of knobbly salt formations - one of the high (low!) points.
Another sightseeing gem is Artist's Palette, an eroded hillside covered in an intensely coloured mosaic of reds, golds, blacks and greens.
There are also lonely ghost towns to explore, borax mining sites and the surreal luxury of Scotty's Castle, built by an insurance broker in the 1920s.