Any suggestions for filming locations around Las Vegas?

[gavinski]

I'll be heading to St George, Utah and Zion National Park next week and I plan on taking my P2. I'll be flying into Las Vegas and I will have the afternoon free so I plan on heading out of town for a flight or two. So I am looking for interesting locations within 60-90 minutes of Las Vegas. I was looking at maybe Hoover Dam, or Red Rock Canyon.

But the problem is that these are National Parks, and as far I know the flying of UAVs is not allowed without advance permission (although I can't find documentation on the NP web site). I wonder how many of the videos of National Park flights posted to Youtube had permission and how many have just gone ahead without it? And how many are just ignorant of the law? I have sent a request for Zion, so it'll be interesting to see what they say.

Any other suggestions for legal locations around Vegas?

 

[kydan]

+1 for red rock canyon. However, you'll want to do it away from the climbers because that could be dangerous if it distracted them. It's a long drive around and there's plenty of spots you could pull off and get some great aerial shots.

Maybe try the Las Vegas Motor Speedway too. If you're feeling real ballsy, try the strip at like 4AM.

 

[gavinski]

The strip at 4am? I don't think so.

I recall someone here boasting about their flight down the strip at something like 4am, figuring it was safe. And there was a minor confrontation with the police. But I can't seem to find that thread, so maybe it was deleted.

I don't think there is ever a safe time to fly a remote control aircraft down the LaVegas strip. There's traffic there 24/7.

 

[MILLER4PRESIDENT2020]

about 20 minutes east is the boulder city airport, its where they launch all the helicopters and twin otters for Grand Canyon tours. Well on the other side of the main road is a giant downhill mountain biking course. The kind of stuff you see on the X-games where the guys are taking 20 feet cliff drops on their bikes. You can even drive your car up most of the way and park. Its easy to see, just look left and there is a mountain, but the actual road is hard to find because you cut through neighborhoods in order to find the access road.
I used to live there and mountain bike it myself.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

The Hoover Dam has heavy security. You may draw unwanted attention flying there. Red Rock is a good location. From what I recall the rules for NP's was you could not take off or land on NP land but flying over it was OK with the exception of the Grand Canyon (thanks Trappy)... so far.

 

[ladykate]

Not sure about NP either but you can get some great scenery on the road past Hoover Dam. There are two or three 'scenic turn outs' that have great vistas.

Did that a few weeks ago but didn't fly much because of the wind. Did get one or two flights in, though.

I went to the dam but didn't have the guts to crank up the airplane - there were too many people, too many high voltage lines, and way too many police. ;-} I did get a few great shots of Lake Meade but I had the GoPro in my hand.

Driving on down the road, there are lots of rock structures that would have great movie angles. And because you are in a basin, when you drive out, you can find some good panorama locations. The whole thing is 1/2 hour from downtown.

If you want the strip at 4 a.m. consider going up the Stratosphere and doing handheld shots. Mixing them in with aerial shots works nicely.

 

[OI Photography]

I don't remember the name of the exact roads, but the hills directly south of town have some overlook spots where you can get some incredible vistas of the whole city, especially at night.

 

[MILLER4PRESIDENT2020]

be careful if you try to sneak up to the **** from a distance, there is A TON of airplane and helicopter traffic. They make that there route coming out of boulder city, around the ****, and then on to Grand Canyon West or South Rim

 

[MILLER4PRESIDENT2020]

Well on the other side of the main road is a giant downhill mountain biking course. The kind of stuff you see on the X-games where the guys are taking 20 feet cliff drops on their bikes.

Errrr...Bootleg Canyon is not anything like an X-Games course and there are no 20 foot cliff drops.

Fun place to ride but nothing like X Games course or the Rampage course.

i used to work there in 2006 and they had ramp and jumps set up and if you fell off the edge of a trail you would slide 20 feet down an embankment into rocks. Unless things have changed?

 

[lavamantis]

The strip at 4am? I don't think so.

I recall someone here boasting about their flight down the strip at something like 4am, figuring it was safe. And there was a minor confrontation with the police. But I can't seem to find that thread, so maybe it was deleted.

I don't think there is ever a safe time to fly a remote control aircraft down the LaVegas strip. There's traffic there 24/7.

It may have been the Black Sheep guys.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/fli...lying-uavs-in-the-face-of-authority-15441157/

 

[GoodnNuff]

I would not risk flying at any NP, especially Zion. Drones chasing big horn sheep and distracting rock climbers at Zion's were among the reasons the NP ban was enacted. Google and research the topic, the fines are quite steep and you could risk having your quad confiscated.

The only spot I've ever seen the theory that you can launch and land outsided of a NP, but fly legally over a NP is on this very forum. And though I've seen it posted many times here, I cannot find any link to this theory. I believe that some here have read the law which states that you can't "operate" a drone within the boundaries of a NP, and they have interpreted that to mean one can "operate" or pilot/control the drone from outside the park. I'm not sure a court would have the same interpretation of the law, but if you have deep pockets, you may wish to try this and challenge the law in court. But it certainly does defeat the ban, doesn't it? The issue is not with landing or taking off in the park, the issue is with drones in the air in the park, so I think this theory is just a pipe dream