Years (decades, actually) I attended Park Ranger boot camp at Grand Canyon National Park, about a two month course. On our first field trip, which involved Lake Mead NRA, we spent the night in Las Vegas.

I think that was very deliberate (and lodging was cheap) - the point being that not everybody goes to national parks and the great outdoors, preferring other modes of recreation, even if indoor oriented (not nearly as much apparel was required).

Indeed,there is lots of fine country around LV. Did you by any chance happen to pass by the charcoal kilns in Wildrose Canyon in DV? A regular contributor to this forum directed their repair and stabilization some decades ago - got in a couple of trips up Telescope Peak as well.