What and Where is the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas? (Map)

I’m sure you’re familiar with the Las Vegas Strip. The glittery stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard full of casinos, hotels, and attractions that draw in millions of visitors each and every year. But did you know that there is another Strip in Las Vegas called the Boulder Strip?

The Boulder Strip is a separate gaming area in Las Vegas, Nevada that has been designated as its own casino industry segment by the state Gaming Commission. It is named for the Boulder Highway which runs through the area.

Keep reading to find out all there is to know about the Boulder Strip including where it is, what casinos you’ll find there and how far it is from the Las Vegas Strip.

What is the Boulder Strip?

Many visitors to Las Vegas only spend time on the Las Vegas Strip and in the downtown area around Fremont Street but there is much more to Las Vegas than these two areas. The Boulder Strip is another part of the city that’s full of casinos and entertainment. It’s an area of interest to both visitors and locals alike.

The Nevada Gaming Commission controls all of the casino operations in the state and groups these casinos by geographic areas. Since Las Vegas is so large it’s been divided into multiple individual casino markets. The Boulder Strip is one of these designated areas.

The Boulder Strip contains approximately 32 individual casinos. Many of these casinos are small local establishments, some with just slots or video machines, while others are large hotel/casino type resorts containing gaming floors well over 100,000 square feet in size.

In terms of revenue, the Boulder Strip is listed as the 10th largest gaming revenue market in the United States, even beating out Reno, Nevada!

Unlike the Las Vegas Strip, the Boulder Strip casinos are much more spread out and it’s not as convenient to travel from property to property like it is on the Las Vegas Strip. That being said, many of these casinos can be found on or near Boulder Highway.

Where is the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas?

Boulder Strip can be found in the east to the southeast part of the Las Vegas Valley. Most people think of the Boulder Strip as just being the casinos along Boulder Highway but it also includes the casinos located up to several miles on either side of the highway.

Boulder Strip Las Vegas Map

As you can see from the map below, Boulder Highway (red line) is quite long and the Boulder Strip region (green lines) covers a pretty wide area of town. I’ve included the Main Las Vegas Strip (blue line) as a reference.

The section of Boulder Highway that’s part of the Boulder Strip runs from the cross-street of Desert Inn in Las Vegas, all the way down to the Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino south of Henderson which is a distance of about 18 miles.

The Boulder Strip encompasses casinos in multiple cities and townships including Las Vegas, Henderson, Lake Las Vegas, Green Valley, and Boulder City.

Hotels and Casinos on the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas

While many of the casinos on the Boulder Strip are small local affairs, there are some larger casinos with hotels and resort amenities. These hotel/casinos attract visitors to Las Vegas that want to have fun without the crowds and expense of the Las Vegas Strip.

These casinos are also where many of the locals go to gamble and eat. My family enjoys a champagne brunch, pretty much every Sunday, at one of these casinos.

Biggest Hotel & Casinos on the Boulder Strip

Boulder Station – Includes a large casino floor (89,443 sq ft), several restaurants, buffet, movie theater, bowling alley, bars, live entertainment, and a hotel with 300 rooms.

Sam’s Town – Here you’ll find a big gaming floor (126,681 sq ft), fine and casual dining options, buffet, bars, live entertainment, bowling alley, Mystic Falls, and over 600 rooms.

Sunset Station – One of the biggest casinos on the Boulder Strip (133,409 sq ft), plenty of casual and upscale eats, movie theater, Kids Quest play area, bars, bowling, and 457 guest rooms.

Green Valley Ranch – The most luxurious of the Boulder Strip casinos with the largest gaming floor (133,659 sq ft), award-winning dining, buffet, Kids Quest play area, movie theater, spa, concerts, with over 490 guest rooms.

While these are the biggest casinos on the Boulder Strip, there are many smaller gaming establishments with casino floors ranging in size from just under 50,000 sq ft all the way down to well under 10,000 sq ft.

Smaller Casinos on the Boulder Strip

The smaller Boulder Strip casinos include:

As I’ve mentioned, the casinos are generally spread out throughout the area. However, there is a concentration of casinos, including a few of the bigger ones at the north end of the Boulder Strip.

These casinos are within a short walk or drive of each other and include Boulder Station, Sam’s Town, Eastside Cannery, and the Longhorn Casino.

How Far is Boulder Strip from the Las Vegas Strip?

From the casinos on the Boulder Strip, you’ll find yourself anywhere from 6.5 miles to 22 miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. For instance, depending on traffic it will take you around 20 – 30 minutes to get to the main Strip from Sam’s Town Casino. Sam’s Town is only 6.5 miles away but there are a lot of long traffic signals in between to slow you down.

The furthest Boulder Strip casino from the Las Vegas Strip is the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino. It’s about 22 miles away, yet it only takes about 28 minutes to drive to the Las Vegas Strip because you can get there almost entirely by freeway.

On average, you can expect a 20 – 30 minute drive to the Las Vegas Strip from any casino on or near Boulder Highway.

How to Get to Las Vegas Strip from Boulder Strip

If you don’t have your own car, getting back and forth between a casino on the Boulder Strip and the main Strip is still pretty easy. Most visitors use an Uber or Lyft to get between the two. This will cost you on average $15-25 depending on your starting point.

One of the best ways to get to the Las Vegas Strip from a Boulder hotel is to start from Sam’s Town Casino and Gambling Hall. They have a free shuttle that runs back and forth to Harrah’s (one of their sister properties on the Strip) every couple of hours. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to ride the shuttle but if the bus is full hotel guests get priority.

You can check out current room rates at Sam’s Town here.

Conclusion

Now you know everything you need to know to get started exploring the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas!

While the hotels and casinos on the Boulder Strip are not the first place visitors to Las Vegas run to, they certainly have their own charm.

Locals as well as many repeat visitors to Las Vegas find they actually prefer spending time at the Boulder Strip casinos. Without a doubt, it’s less expensive than staying or visiting one of the mega-casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Sources:

• American Gaming Association
• Nevada Gaming Commission
• Wikipedia Boulder Strip
• Wikipedia
• BoulderHighway.com