If you're looking to take in the stunning scenery of Clark County, go for a hike. The following are some of the best hiking trails in Clark County.
You may find stunning hiking paths throughout Clark County. There are several hiking paths that both families and single hikers may enjoy.
Some of the best hiking trails in Clark County include the Black Mountains, McCullough Mountains, and Anthem East trail paths. Many hikers enjoy hiking from Old Vegas to Railroad Pass as well.
The most incredible hiking trails in Clark County have been included in this guide after thoroughly examining hiking and walking routes.
With the help of professional hikers and visiting hiking trails, we've compiled a list of the most excellent Clark County hiking routes for you. What to expect when visiting these paths and attractions is also discussed in detail.
Trail of the Black Mountains
While there are several ways to ascend Skyline Ridge, few are as beautiful and challenging as this one. It is one of the most challenging 10-mile walks on the peninsula.
Even while the height gain isn't very significant for a trek of this length, the lengthy, steep ascent near the conclusion is exhausting.
You may expect to see a group of hikers every five minutes or so on this well-traveled route during the summer season. Many Silicon Valley engineers, families, walkers and joggers, individuals, and others of all ages may be found here.
Hiking clubs and other large groups frequently use the path. Despite its elevated location, the route is peaceful and wooded, with some of the most fantastic views of Silicon Valley you'll find anywhere in the Bay Area.
There's minimal road-noise, few trail junctions, and many well-maintained single tracks throughout this route. There is a lengthy stretch of scrub near the top of the route, primarily forested.
Even though it's forested, this route becomes quite hot in the summer. It would be best to avoid high temperatures of 85°F or above on a hiking trip.
The route doesn't become muddy and holds up quite well in the winter. The trailhead is located at the Rhus Ridge Drive parking lot.
The parking lot was deleted from the official park map, and no signage marked the way to the lot due to complaints from surrounding homeowners about traffic.
Even though there are just seven parking spots, the lot is frequently overflowing, with people anxiously awaiting an opening. It's impossible to park on any other road in the vicinity.
Parking at Foothill College is recommended by a sign, although few people do so because the trek is extended by a 1.7 miles round trip and roughly a half-hour.
Return to Moody Road and take a right to get there. Then you need to go straight ahead until you reach the Foothill College crossing with Elena Road.
There is a parking lot on the right almost immediately. Every parking place in the lot is labeled "staff" despite a sign reading "public parking" at the entrance.
There is, however, a student parking lot on the left if you continue driving for a few more yards. From the Rhus Ridge Road lot, a dirt road enters the woods, runs through a seedy-looking "caretaker's house" with a horse corral, and rises sharply.
The first glimpse of the San Francisco Bay Area may be seen after about a half-mile. It's already possible to see Los Altos Hills from this low vantage point.
Anthem East Trail
Anthem Hills Park in the north and Shadow Canyon Trailhead in the south, the Anthem East Route is a 6.9-mile-long trail. These trails alternate between city-built single-track trails and bigger utility roads, which were repurposed by the city of Henderson to serve its power lines.
Mountain bikers and hikers both frequently use this multi-use track. The majority of the path is moderately challenging, although a few steep and severe parts are mentioned in the next paragraph.
There are two primary portions of the Anthem East Trail. It begins in Anthem Hills Park, on the east side, on a winding paved route.
It follows a utility road up into the foothills toward the McCullough Hills Trail, including the Sloan Canyon Conservation Area.
Afterward, the route descends via a succession of washes and hills before taking you to the 3,337-foot elevation of a gravel utility road.
After there, the route returns you to Sun City Anthem's 2,949-foot utility road, where water reservoirs are serviced by the City of Henderson.
The first three miles of the Anthem East Trail take you from the Shadow Canyon Trailhead to Henderson utility road, where you may follow a utility road to the trail's highest point (3,527 feet).
You can start from the Anthem East Trailhead located in Anthem Hills Park and conclude at the Shadow Canyon Trailhead situated in Sun City Anthem. You can cover the complete Anthem East Trail from north to south.
You may trek the whole Anthem East because of the apparent issue of requiring transport back to the trailhead from where you start.
A low point separates the two high peaks about halfway down the path, so I frequently trek three miles from one trailhead and then head back.
The McCullough Hills Trail and the Mushroom Loop Trail may be accessed to the north, while Anthem East can access the Arden Peak Road to the south.
You can approach the Anthem East Trail by utilizing the Chorus or Arpeggio Trailhead to avoid the paved stretch of the trail.
The Anthem East Trail is a challenging trek, so make sure you are equipped and adhere to the safety recommendations.
As a resident of the Anthem region, you may use the Anthem East Trail to build up your strength and endurance. This route can fill in the gaps between General Hospital and Oprah.
Paved, rough dirt roads and single-track make up the trail's multipurpose nature. This path has a lot of promise for a nice MTB trail, and there are some fun single-track portions.
Trail in the McCullough Mountains
The 8-and-a-half-mile McCullough Hills Trail connects the Anthem Hills Trailhead with the McCullough Hills Trailhead in Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. This article describes the path from west to east, but you may hike it either way.
The trek begins a gentle ascent over undulating hills of creosote bush and white bursage. When the route starts descending it's more typical Mojave Desert Scrub vegetation, and the rock is more impressive.
The views from the path's two main lookout sites and the rest of the walk are spectacular. Trail users can choose from various activities, including biking, hiking, and horseback riding.
Three paths run parallel to each other, one for each kind of user. As a result, the instruction signs might be challenging to follow, especially when individuals modify the direction arrows on the signs.
It's great that there are places where you may separate the three groups. Hiking on paths without horses is considerably more pleasurable since horses rip up trails.
Hikers don't have to be on the lookout for speeding bicyclists, and bikers don't have to worry that a hiker would suddenly turn around and head in the opposite direction.
This trek is risk-free, aside from the usual cautions associated with hiking in the desert. Keep an eye out for motorcyclists racing down the route, and always give horses the right-of-way if you're hiking.
Please be considerate of the environment and the people nearby when trekking. Make sure you have everything you'll need for the long trek ahead of time.
Much of the path is serviceable by cell phone. Sloan Canyon NCA is accessible from Anthem and Horizon Ridge subdivisions in Henderson, Nevada.
Both the Anthem Hills Trailhead and McCullough Hills Trailhead are accessible from the west end of the route. Participants had to use a shuttle vehicle to complete this trek, which was advertised as a through-hike, which added an extra 25-30 minutes to the trip.
Del Webb Middle School prefers that hikers utilize the Anthem Hills Trailhead at the west end of the route, which technically begins at the end of McCullough Hills Parkway.
You'll gain a few extra steps on your trek by starting at the designated trailhead. The tiny foot-trail that lines the power line road becomes evident as soon as you turn east on the road. Horseback riders are likely to be better served using the power line road rather than the foot trail.
There is a sparse and stunted Mojave Desert Scrub here, with nothing else besides creosote bush, white bursage, little leaf ratany to distinguish it, and gramma-type bunchgrass to break up the monotony.
Silver chollas and beavertail cacti are also seen here. Although the vegetation is scant and stunted, there is minimal variety, indicating that this area receives little rain.
The Route from Old Vegas to Railroad Pass
The gravel Historic Railroad Trail follows the southern coast of giant Lake Mead only 30 miles south of Las Vegas, at Boulder City.
The rail-trail passes through five railroad tunnels on its approach to Hoover Dam, offering stunning vistas of the artificial lake. The railroad stopped operating in 1935, and the rails were dismantled in 1962; the route opened in 1995 once the dam was built.
The Alan Bible Visitor Center trailhead is the finest site to start your walk in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. You may also access the River Mountains Loop Trail from this location.
The Hemenway Valley, where jackrabbits scurry through washed-out gullies, bighorn sheep graze, and the typical desert-dwelling snakes and reptiles are at home, is 3.7 miles of desert landscape path.
A towering incision in the volcanic rock's red, iron-rich surface is your first obstacle on the path's comprehensive, easy surface. In 1930, the cut was blasted to allow trains bringing stone to the dam site to pass through.
You'll be hundreds of feet above Lake Mead when the route bends near the lake's shore. Take caution because there is no guardrail on the descent.
All along the walk, the views of the lake are breathtaking. Volcanic mounds erupt out of the water like the humps of an aquatic beast in this flooded valley.
The rugged, smoky-blue South Virgin Mountains soar majestically into the sky in the distance. Five 25-foot-diameter tunnels were built along the path for the vast machinery.
Awe-inspiring is how much force is required to blast the way through this arid landscape. You may find trails from the early stages of dam building on each side of the route.
You'll see concrete plugs from Hoover Dam used for wind turbines just before tunnel 1. There are two tunnels in quick succession, and their dark interiors offer a refreshing break from the scorching heat.
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area encourages visitors to use its hiking paths during the fall and winter. The ceiling and sidewalls of tunnel two have been strengthened as you walk through it.
Arsonists set fire to the tunnel in 1990, resulting in the current state of affairs. Wildfire gives rise to most plant life along the path; creosote and mesquite shrubs, which are fire-resistant, are dispersed in green and brown bundles along the trail and on the adjacent slopes.
For the tremendous weight above, the arches in tunnel three were strengthened. Rippled sienna hillsides are apparent along the walk, but notably in the rock face just before tunnel 4, where fault lines may be seen.
To continue the path, you must pass through Tunnel 5, destroyed by fire in 1978 and restored to the public in 2001. To get to the trail's dramatic conclusion, you'll have to make your way up to the visitor parking area's upper level, where you'll be rewarded with a breathtaking vista of the Hoover Dam below.
Take the elevator to the first floor and follow the signs to the Hoover Dam Visitor Center.