Side roads exploring Southern Utah offer a lot of scenery, history and recreation potential without the crowds typically found at the area’s major attractions.

Everybody enjoys getting a freebie now and then. You can save a few dollars on recreation on the days when state and national parks waive their entrance fees or states offer free fishing.

Southern Utah’s dramatic geological features and vividly colored sandstone formations invite visitors to explore and take a closer look.

In Nevada’s arid southern tip, few places exist where one can hear the murmur of a running stream.

Springtime retreats into the hills and rugged mountains this month in the Mojave National Preserve south of Las Vegas near the Nevada-California border.

Nevada’s largest, oldest and most spectacular state park, Valley of Fire lives up to its name with its eroded sandstone formations and sand dunes in fiery shades of red. Changing constantly with the angle of the sun, the colors range from the brilliance of leaping flames to the glowing hues of hot embers.

A historic ranch lies at the heart of Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, a spacious city recreational facility at the edge of northwest Las Vegas.

Despite the ever-expanding urban development in the Las Vegas Valley, remnants of the area’s rural past live on in a few places such as the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, Gilcrease Orchard and the nearby city park at Tule Springs.

Thousands of miles of track once connected Nevada towns with the transcontinental railroads. From territorial days to modern times, at least 70 railroads operated in the state, both standard and narrow gauge. Built to move ore from mines to mills, the lines also carried freight and passengers.

Nevada’s public lands hold a wealth of rock art left behind by native cultures that developed long before Europeans arrived in the New World. Exploring Nevada’s rock art sites offers glimpses of the past and intriguing clues about ancient history.

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Las Vegas, preserves a huge area of desert and mountains as habitat for bighorn sheep and other animals and plants.

Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, a developing attraction in the extreme southern tip of Nevada, offers a variety of outdoor activities, including wildlife watching.

The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge — the smallest of the four protected areas that constitute the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex — includes 116 acres surrounding several natural warm springs that feed the Muddy River. The little-known oasis protects one of the rarest fish on Earth, the diminutive Moapa dace, as well as several other endangered species of plants, animals, birds and insects.

Roos-N-More, near Moapa, offers a hands-on zoo experience with more than 160 animals.

Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park offers a glimpse into an opulent era in history, continuing to draw curiosity seekers much as it has since construction began on the Spanish-style mansion at Death Valley Ranch in remote Grapevine Canyon in 1924.

A hit from the beginning, the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas celebrated its first year of operation this month on the anniversary of the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929.

Stroll into Las Vegas history on a tour of the recently opened Neon Museum on Las Vegas Boulevard just north of Bonanza Road.