From tip to sail, we’ve got everything from leisurely hot air balloons and helicopter tours to heart-pounding air races and full-on land sailing all dialed and ready for your flight plan. Better yet, Nevada’s legendary bright blue skies make the perfect backdrop for any air sports adventures you’re looking to get into. Jump in the cockpit, tighten down that harness, and let’s fly.
Highlights
Whether you’re after big excitement or a peaceful ride, we’ve got a big ol’ sky with your name on it
Do you dig flying in the face of fear? Skydiving Nevada is a definite frontrunner as one of the most thrilling, adventurous air sports under the sun and places like Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe couldn’t be better places to jump out of a plane and tick this one off the list.
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State of Nevada
Do you dig flying in the face of fear? Skydiving Nevada is a definite frontrunner as one of the most thrilling, adventurous air sports under the sun and places like Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe couldn’t be better places to jump out of a plane and tick this one off the list.
Get that adrenaline pumping at Skydive Las Vegas—where visitors can freefall at 120+ miles per hour over the only drop zone in the country with views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Las Vegas Strip, Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston and the Mighty Colorado. Or climb 12,000 feet above magnificent Lake Tahoe for unmatched views of Big Blue and out-of-this-world excitement while tandem skydiving with the pros. If skydiving isn’t quite your speed, check out other extreme air sports in Nevada like hang gliding, parasailing and zip lining. The only thing left to do now? Make sure you’re the age of 18 or older, sign a waiver, and buckle up for the flight of your life.
What better way to take in Lake Tahoe’s stunning clarity than from above? Slightly more controlled than some of the other thrill-seeking air sports in Nevada, visitors and locals can hover over one of the largest and clearest alpine lakes in the world by parasailing Lake Tahoe.
Departing from north and south Lake Tahoe, experienced captains and crew float visitors up above crystal-clear blue waters by parasail. This dry and gentle takeoff and landing means this air sport is perfect for photographers, so be sure to have your camera ready. All parasailing in Nevada can be found at Lake Tahoe, Lake Mead, and the Colorado River, where visitors can embark on single or tandem rides that vary in height from 400 to 1,200 feet above Big Blue.
Back on (very) dry land, Nevada is the premier landsailing destination in the U.S., where “sailors” from all over the globe flock to our hard, flat, dry lake beds (playas) to race dirt boats that scream up to 90 miles per hour. America’s Land Sailing Cup, the Land Sailling World Championship, and other top landsailing events covet Nevada’s ideal combo of hard packed ground and wind galore. It’s basically the holy gale of wind sports, right in Nevada’s backyard.
Whether you’re after big excitement or a peaceful ride, we’ve got a big ol’ sky with your name on it. Piloted by true thrill seekers who usually fly light, non-motorized aircraft, jump from mountain ranges, gliding down and landing into valleys below, hang gliding is one of the closest things to feeling like flying. Since Nevada is the most mountainous state in the continental U.S., that means hang gliding air sports in this part of the country are unrivaled. Fly with the Desert Skywalkers—a local hang gliding and paragliding pilots club in Vegas, or book your air adventure with Hang Gliding Tahoe or Sierra Adventures—a motorized hang gliding experience over Tahoe, and surrounding mountainscapes.
Hang gliding is one way to get a dose of solid adventure, but did you know pilots from all over the world travel to Soaring NV to practice, get certified, and take advantage of the ideal sky gliding conditions? Similar to hang gliding, a glider ride means experiencing the thrill of being pulled into the air by a tow plane, before cutting loose and soaring in an engineless plane—with only the sound of the wind under your wings—over Emerald Bay, the mighty Sierra Nevada mountains, and beyond.
Zip through downtown Las Vegas over rugged canyons and southern Nevada desertscapes, or in full view of Lake Tahoe with several zip lining courses in Nevada. Grab onto the Fremont Street Experience from above at SlotZilla Zip Line Experience. Here, thrill seekers climb eleven stories above this historic five-block stretch of Fremont Street, and soar like superheroes beneath a dazzling canopy lined with the world’s largest concentration of LED lights.
Or, fly the tallest, fastest zipline in Las Vegas with 360-degree, open-air views of the Strip at VooDoo Zip Line. You can also head for more scenic desert landscapes with vast blue skies at Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City. Book a sunset tour, which always delivers incredible views of Lake Mead and the vibrant red rocks surrounding Boulder City, or reserve a moonlit tour ziplining over the Mojave Desert.
If you’re visiting northern Nevada, be sure to embark on the Blue Streak Zip Line, which starts at 10,000 feet and soars 50 miles per hour above Lake Tahoe down more than 3,000 lateral feet of zip line.
Your hot air balloon comes to life and stands upright just seconds before whisking you into the heavens—rising up and over the Sierra—as you cross over the deep blue waters below serving up the best views of your life. Is that the kind of lofty air sports magic you’re after? Yeah, us too. Take off on a hot air ballooning air sports adventure in Nevada, which can range from personal hot air balloon rides to balloon races, balloon festivals and beyond.
Travel Nevada Pro Tip
Northern Nevada is home to the Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival near Elko, and the Great Reno Balloon Race in Reno. Nearly 40 balloons hover over the majestic Ruby Mountains, while the Great Reno Balloon Race is the world’s largest free hot air ballooning event with nearly 100 balloons dancing across the morning light at this annual event and Reno tradition. Just an hour south, Carson Valley is home to Balloon Nevada—the only full-time, year-round balloon ride company offering private hot air balloon rides in northern Nevada.
Got the need for some seriously extreme speed? How about the sound of jet engines roaring. Crowds cheering. Hearts pounding. The Reno Air Races boast the fastest motorsport title on earth—a one-of-a-kind thrill you have to see, hear and feel to believe. Besides watching the action in the sky at the world’s longest-running air race, get an up-close look at aircraft, pilots, and crews in the “pits” at this signature Reno event.
Looking for something even more exhilarating? How about booking a flight rental? Jump in the cockpit yourself to become a fighter pilot for a day at Las Vegas’ Sky Combat Ace flight training school.
Sightseeing tours are aplenty in Nevada, especially in the Las Vegas area. Aircraft rentals and tandem flights are available ranging from private planes to helicopters, but sightseeing safaris are the way to go, especially in southern Nevada.
Book a helicopter tour for dazzling day and nighttime Las Vegas helicopter tours of the Strip, get a load of Vegas’ surrounding scenic splendor with sky-high sightseeing tours of Red Rock Canyon and the Spring Mountains, or take a helicopter ride on over to our closest wonder of the world with Grand Canyon Tours that depart hourly from Boulder City.
Don’t let a little thing like gravity get ya down. With air sports like skydiving, gliding and parasailing set against some of the most iconic scenic backdrops in the country, ways to take in that big ol’ Nevada skies are endless. Whether you’re strapped into the cockpit first hand, or taking in the thrill of the fastest motorsport event in the U.S. from the grandstands, Nevada air sports know how to crank up the adrenaline.
#TravelNevada
Nevada just so happens to be the holy gail of adventure air sports—hope you’re ready for it. Don’t forget to tag #TravelNevada and share your fav Nevada destinations. If we love your photo, you may find it featured here.
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