Most of a Las Vegas vacation is usually spent indoors, so you can have a good time here year-round. The most pleasant seasons in this area are spring and fall, especially if you want to experience the great outdoors.
Weekdays are slightly less crowded than weekends. Holidays are always a mob scene and come accompanied by high hotel prices. Hotel prices also skyrocket when big conventions and special events are taking place. The slowest times of year are June and July, the week before Christmas, and the week after New Year's.
If a major convention is to be held during your trip, you might want to change your date. Contact the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (tel. 877/VISIT-LV or 702/892-7575; www.visitlasvegas.com), as convention schedules often change.
The Weather -- First of all, Vegas isn't always hot, but when it is, it's really hot. One thing you'll hear again and again is that even though Las Vegas gets very hot, the dry desert heat is not unbearable. This is true. (We know this because we spent a couple days there in 104°F weather and lived to say, "It wasn't all that bad, not really.") The humidity averages a low 22%, and even on very hot days, there's apt to be a breeze. Also, except on the hottest summer days, there's relief at night, when temperatures often drop by as much as 20°F.
But this is the desert, and it's not hot year-round. It can get quite cold, especially in the winter, when at night it can drop to 30°F (-1°C) and lower. Although rare, it does snow occasionally in Las Vegas. (The winter of 1998-99 dropped nearly 2 inches of snow on the Strip; a light dusting landed in January 2005. There's nothing quite like the sight of Luxor's Sphinx covered in snow.) The breeze can also become a cold, biting, strong wind of up to 40 mph and more. And so there are entire portions of the year when you won't be using that hotel pool at all (even if you want to because most of the hotels close huge chunks of those fabulous pool areas for "the season," which can be as long as the period from Labor Day to Memorial Day). If you aren't traveling in the height of summer, bring a jacket. Also, remember sunscreen and a hat -- even if it's not all that hot, you can burn very easily and very fast.
