Getting Around North Las Vegas
North Las Vegas sits in the Las Vegas Valley, northeast of Las Vegas proper, and it shares its transport network with the wider metro area. The practical upshot for a visitor is that most of your options — buses, taxis, and the airport — are regional rather than strictly local, so you should plan your trips with the whole valley in mind rather than just the city limits.
By Car
A car is the best option for getting around North Las Vegas and the Las Vegas metro area generally. Rental cars tend to be relatively inexpensive in the metro area, and although you may hit the occasional traffic jam, the freeways are usually not severely clogged. The region is laid out on a grid pattern, which makes navigating fairly straightforward.
If you are arriving from outside the region, Interstate 15 runs into the Las Vegas metro area — northbound from the Los Angeles metro area and southbound from Salt Lake City.
Rail, Metro and Trams
There is no passenger rail service into or around North Las Vegas. The Union Pacific Railroad does provide freight train service to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, but that does not help visitors in need of passenger trains. Amtrak's Desert Wind train once served Las Vegas using those tracks, but that service ended in 1997.
Amtrak does still sell tickets that include motorcoach bus service into Las Vegas, typically after a train ride that gets you somewhat close — for example to Kingman, Arizona, or Bakersfield, California. From there, the motorcoach portion of your Amtrak ticket provides the bus connection into Las Vegas. There are studies and plans in the works to restore rail service on the Union Pacific tracks, and for high-speed rail to Southern California, but nothing is currently operating for passengers.
Buses and Public Transport
Bus service in North Las Vegas, as well as in Las Vegas and Henderson, is provided by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC). Getting around by bus in the Las Vegas area is not as difficult as it can be in many western U.S. cities.
- Single ride: $2 per bus ride.
- 24-hour pass: $5, available when boarding the bus — often the more useful choice for a visitor.
- 5-day pass: $20, sold at many supermarkets and check cashing institutions, but not available on the bus itself. Worth buying if you plan to be in the area for a while.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis in North Las Vegas are handled by calling for one and waiting for it to arrive. Do not expect to hail a cab off the street as you would in New York City or Chicago. Taxis are only plentiful and easily accessible at McCarran Airport, at hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, and in Downtown Las Vegas, where they queue up waiting for passengers. Outside those areas, expect to call a cab and generally wait 20–40 minutes for it to reach you.
Walkability
North Las Vegas is a suburban city in the Mojave Desert, and the region is laid out on a grid. Given that a car provides the best option for getting around, and that the practical alternatives are buses and summoned taxis, walking is not a realistic way to cover the city as a visitor. Plan on motorized transport for anything beyond an immediate neighborhood.
Getting There from the Airport
Air travel to North Las Vegas is handled by McCarran International Airport (LAS), which sits just south of the Las Vegas Strip and about 15 miles south of North Las Vegas. Because the airport is on the south side of the valley, allow time for the trip north into North Las Vegas.
North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) is a small airport used mainly for general aviation, private planes, and scenic tours — it is not the arrival point for commercial visitors.
Once you land at McCarran, the taxi rank at the airport is one of the few places in the valley where cabs are plentiful and easy to pick up without calling ahead. Buses run by the RTC connect the airport area with the rest of the valley, and a 24-hour pass bought on board is a simple option if you plan to use public transport during your stay.