Death Valley: Land of Extremes

Extremities come to head in Death Valley, a land of exaggerated temperatures (it averages around 100 degrees) and a deficiency of rain (less than two inches per year). Open only from November 1 to April 30, the Death Valley National Park takes radical tourists into the barren land. Witness the sun set over vast musical sand dunes or a lush palm encircled oasis surrounded by the vast and arid desert of Death Valley.

Photo Credit: Death Valley, Joshua tree (Image Source)

Top Budget-Friendly Mountain Trips

Enjoy some fresh mountain air without putting your wallet on a high-altitude diet at these three affordable trip hubs.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Get around for .50 cents a person on the Fun Time Trolley, buy a Pigeon Forge Value Card for discounts on everything from meals to hotels, shopping and attractions, and enjoy a free-next-day ticket to Dollywood when you arrive after 3 p.m. Accommodations ranging from rustic inns to value-conscious resorts make for budget-friendly lodging.

Top 4 Nature-Loving Family Road Trips

Spring is in the air, which means it's time to get outside! Scenery and back-to-basics family fun take center stage on these cheap, outdoorsy family road trips:

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Amid the backdrop of the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, this 105-mile stretch of highway (itself a section of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway) is dotted with exits to kid-friendly hiking trails. Inexpensive campgrounds and cabin-style resorts make for a budget-friendly family vacation.

Asheville, North Carolina, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee
This beautiful two-hour drive passes right through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Campgrounds are plentiful in the area, as are laid-back lodging options like cabin rentals and motels.

Classic Americana: Vegas, Baby!

Climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, cruise the canals of Venice, scale the Pyramids, and spend the night in New York, New York. Only in Vegas, baby. While Las Vegas may pretend to be every other city in the world, none other quite compares. The first casino opened in 1941, and today the famous "Strip" hosts over 33 million visitors a year (and marries 100,000 of them).

Photo credit: Showgirls in Las Vegas (Digital Vision/Getty)

Best Budget-Friendly Ski Vacations

These budget-friendly ski resorts offer amenities and activities for everyone from seasoned skiers to first-timers.

Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa, Thompsonville, Michigan
With ski and spa packages starting at $139 per person per night and a variety of other wallet-friendly deals, this full-service ski and golf resort offers a variety of activities, lessons, childcare and more at reasonable prices. Voted top Midwest ski resort by SKI magazine in 2005, the resort offers 45 trails plus two terrain parks and a 700-foot halfpipe.

Vail Cascade Resort, Vail, Colorado
This AAA Four-Diamond resort at the base of Vail Mountain offers a variety of lodging styles and sizes, and an extensive list of attractions and activities for year-round fun. Take advantage of special packages catering to families, spa-lovers, foodies, and hardcore deal-seekers.

Top 3 Affordable Desert Escapes

You don't have to go to the Sahara to experience the desert. These sandy getaways, all accessible via major airports with regular flight deals from around the country, certainly don’t skimp on luxury. However, book a trip during the slow season (ie, the hottest summer months) and they can make for a surprisingly affordable vacation.

The Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona
A desert oasis offering Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture, spa and golf packages, and a full menu of activities from salsa dancing to lawn chess, this circa-1929 resort blends vintage charm with modern amenities. Kids will enjoy the comfort food at the hotel's delicious new Frank & Albert's restaurant.

Leaving Las Vegas: The Best of Nevada

Nevada's 111,000 square miles offer an array of attractions including hiking, biking, climbing, off-roading, water sports, air sports—and gambling, of course. Take a road trip across the state and check out the Valley of Fire State Park, Hoover Dam, the Armagosa Dunes, the Ruby Mountains, and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. And with 360-degree desert and mountain scenery everywhere you look, the vista will feel anything but empty.

Photo credit: Nevada road (Photodisc/Getty)