This picnic area with a hiking trail behind it is stunning! It looks just like those awesome red…read morerocks you see in Valley of Fire, but its located in Lake Mead. There is even a mini elephant rock here like there is at Valley of Fire too. The picnic areas have shade and BBQ pits, and some space in between each one. Nice. There is a bathroom here as well and a decent amount of parking. The hiking trail takes you around the different rock formations and is pretty easy. The best part about it is the views and seeing all the neat formations. Definitely a nice stop or even hangout spot for a while.

We really like this place. It is so versatile for entry level and intermediate level hikers. There…read moreare some nice areas with shaded picnic tables where you can stop and have a bite to eat and then decide who wants to go and do a little hiking and who wants to stay back and chill at the picnic table under the shade. Last time we were there, they had a wedding and some really gorgeous photos .

By far the best view of Lake Mead, on any hike around this area. It's pretty easy to find the…read moretrailhead, it's well marked, it's off Northshore Rd at MM 18.2, there is a parking area right across the street from the actual trailhead. The hike will take you through some dry washes, and there was one spot that you had to climb up and over, but for the most part, this was all trail. Easy to follow. There are some uphill sections (obviously, it is a peak), so you should be in somewhat decent shape. This wasn't strenuous. The view alone is worth the hike and the drive out. 7 miles RT, no need for trekking poles.

Amazing scenery all around! It's definitely worth doing…read moreespecially in the cooler weather. I won't recommend it during the summer though as I am always out on trails ... with plenty of drinking water in your backpack, it's still doable all year round. This part of the trail, we hiked, located inside the Lake Mead National Park, so be prepared to pay a fee to enter. $25 entrance fee is valid for 7 days or $80 yearly pass. During our hike, I truly enjoyed the weather, and of course the blooming wild flowers! Prickly cactus flowers are colorfully outstanding from the boring desert landscape! The white poppies are popping everywhere, too! Beautiful yellow, white and purple flowers are covering the hillside all around the trail. The water is flowing in the wash and giving energy during the walk. I practically felt the energy from this beautiful sight! According to the sign on the trail entrance, it said that the trail is not maintained, enter on your own risk! Well, I found that the trail is very well maintained! You can't really miss it. The side of the trail has large rocks all the way. Especially on the beginning, on the upper level. Once you reach the narrow section, where the steps begin, you need to be careful going down. Then, when you reached the waterline you can follow the path carefully. The scenery is amazing! There is an unpaved parking area off of the road where you can find restrooms too.

As part of a dual hike, my friend and I first hiked the Bluff Trail and then drove across the wash…read morevia Northshore Road to get to this trail. Make sure you don't get confused. There are two Wetland trails. One is the 14.1 mile loop that starts from the Wetlands Park. This is a short hike from the downstream side of Lake Las Vegas as the Las Vegas Wash goes to Lake Mead. From the parking lot, you have two options. The fastest route is straight ahead where the trailhead sign is. The other trail is to the left of the pit toilet. It's not as steep, but it is a longer trip. After starting on what I'll refer to as the main trail, you'll soon come to a split in the trail with a section making a 90º turn. If all you want to do is see the wash from the top of the cliff, turn right here. If you want the full experience, keep hiking straight ahead. The trail will narrow, and you'll, descend to a point where there are two cautionary signs. This is also where the trail from the pit toilet comes up from the service road below. I recommend here that you take the right fork here. The steps are not as dependable straight ahead and it's steeper. Go to your right and soon you'll be almost at the level of the wash. Once on the road below, walk the opposite direction of your hike to this point and you'll get close to the weir that helps slow the water so more of the wash doesn't erode. Understand that about 200 million gallons of water gfo down this wash daily. The Las Vegas Wash is our river, if you will. It's lovely to see and listen too. Stay out of the water as it's both regular runoff and treated sewage. The easiest way back is to return the way you came. My friend and I did a harder way. We walked downstream until we came to the service road. We truned left and hiked the road back. While the footing is easier, the entire trip is uphill. Had we returned the way we came, ascending would be tougher, but once over, we'd have had flat going back to the car. We wanted the extra workout so we hiked the road. This is why we get the 1.5 mile round trip. Happy trails!

After doing some reach on line, my husband and I set out to find the bowl of fire. We were…read moreunsuccessful. On the way out, we saw some hikers and asked them about it. They were just coming out and they explained to us that you basically have to go to the anniversary narrows through the slot canyons and out the other side and then hike up to the bowl of fire. We may try this again another day. By the time we ran into the hikers, we were already tired and picked up another hiker who was lost and we had to get him back to his car, which was a ways away.. It looks like a great place that we wanted to try to find though.

Great hike with Hikerbabes Las Vegas Chapter…read more You can scramble as much as you want or not scramble at all. The views are gorgeous. The sun hitting the sandstone makes for great pictures. Not a lot of parking so get there by 10am and you should be fine. We stopped and had snacks at the bowl, climbed up, took some pictures and hiked back out. Fabulous day with the babes!

After finding this trail on Google Earth, I had to try it out. I have hiked it twice and I really…read morelike the trail. The trail is just about 3 miles round trip--out and back. There are two bluffs from which you have some great views of Lava Butte, the Las Vegas Wash, and the mountains that surround Lake Mead and the environs. To get here, come in the fee booth on Lake Mead Parkway to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. In approximately 2 miles, turn left into Las Vegas Bay. Very shortly, a road goes off to the left. Take this road. It will lead you for about a mile to the camping area from which you'll hike. There are about 4 spaces before entering the camping area. DO NOT park in the camping area unless you want to pay the fee for camping. Walk into the camping area and turn left at the diagonal street with a #1. This takes you to a brushy area and there is a sign for the trailhead. The trail starts there and is lined by rocks for quite a distance. Along the way to the first bluff, you have a great view of the Las Vegas Wash as it winds its way to Lake Mead. You'll hear the rush of the water also. The first bluff gives you a nice overall view of the area but it's only part way. From here, the trail goes down and across the desert to the second bluff. The trail is very easy to follow. There are no side trails anywhere. Just follow the path so many have made. At the second bluff, there's a steep drop off, so just look. You can look upstream of the wash and see the weir by the Northshore Road bridge. You can also see this side of Lake Las Vegas. This is a good spot to have a snack and spend some time enjoying the great view. Retrace your steps to the parking area. As you hike out and back, keep and eye out for animals. The first time I did the trail, I saw a coyote and this time there were a lot of quail. This trail is very Covid friendly. I saw no one on the trail the first time I hiked it, and this time, there was one couple. They turned around at the first bluff so my friend and I had the trail all to ourselves. I do recommend hiking boots. There are shop lava rock you may be stepping on and the extra protection hiking boots give you is worth it. Happy Trails!

Last Saturday was the second time that I experienced Bluff Trail in Lake Mead National Recreation…read moreArea (LMNRA). I entered Bluff Trail stressed and left refreshed. Bluff Trail is eye candy, exercise, and a "relax in nature" hot spot. A couple hundred feet from where Bluff Trail starts at campsite 72, a scenic overlook to the right of the amphitheater awards the hiker with beautiful vistas of the Las Vegas Wash and distant Lake Mead.The overlook of Las Vegas Wash gushing through the canyon toward Lake Mead reminds me of the Grand Canyon. In reality, this could be a western addition of the Grand Canyon. Miles east of this scenic overlook, Lake Mead develops into the Colorado River which flows through the Grand Canyon. Looking down, the water and greenery is a tranquil change of scenery in the Mojave Desert. The scenic overlook by itself is worth the $10 LMNRA entrance fee. Bluff Trail is relatively short with gradual elevation changes. From my experience, the leading segment gives the premium scenic views of the Las Vegas Wash and is well maintained. When I progressed beyond the leading segment, the challenge level advanced from easy to moderate-difficult. Approximately halfway, there is a gravely and rocky segment. To pass this segment without a check-in at the emergency room, required me to sit on a large rock and carefully hop onto the sand. At this point, Bluff Trail starts to meander away from the Las Vegas Wash and onto desert bluffs. It appears that there is no true end of Bluff Trail. It merges into the open spaces of the Mojave Desert. Bluff Trail is between a one and two hour experience. I recommend combining Bluff Trail with Wetlands Trail and Boulder Beach. I suggest bringing the following: sunscreen, inexpensive sneakers, water, binoculars, and $10 for the LMNRA fee station.

The Cactus Wren Trail is a 1.5 mile paved trail in the westernmost area of Henderson bounded by…read moreEastern Avenue to the west, Interstate 215 to the north, and St. Rose Parkway to the east and south. The one mile north to south segment from the 215 Beltway Trail at the north to the Northeast corner of Eastern Avenue at Ione Road travels along a wash in the back of the Eastern Avenue shopping centers and a subdivision to the west and a low density housing community interspersed with open fields to the east. The 0.5 mile west to east segment from Eastern at Ione to the west and both Cactus Wren Park and the St. Rose Parkway pedestrian bridge to the east is a concurrently with the unsigned Amargosa Trail in a residential community that is a walkway for Ione Road half the distance. Today I wanted to go on an easy hike. So, I headed out for the Cactus Wren Trail. I am no stranger to this trail. Back in 2012, I hiked on it when I reviewed Cactus Wren Park. And when hiking or bicycling on the Cactus Wren Park, Cactus Wren Park in my opinion is the best place to park. Both times that I visited Cactus Wren Park, there was a sufficient number of people that were a detriment to criminals. The cool thing about parking at Cactus Wren Park is that the St. rose Parkway bridge, part of the St. Rose Parkway Trail, is an elevated spot to take in the Las Vegas Strip in the distance below. In reality, this is probably the prettiest spot of the Cactus Wren Trail. As Norm. K stated, signing is relatively nonexistent from the trail. I only saw one small Cactus Wren sign at the northernmost end at the 215 Beltway Trail. From Cactus Wren Park, I followed the power lines on a bridge across a wash onto a paved trail. These are the power lines that are analogous to the Amargosa gsa Trail. There were two surface Street crossings. The Ione Road crossing is in need of a crosswalk. Especially with the blind spot from the curve on Ione Road. After crossing Ione Road the trail is a dual topography that is unsurfaced under the power lines and a sidewalk parallel to Ione Road. At the northeast corner of Ione and Eastern, the Armogsa Trail reaches one of its dead-ends when it splits from Cactus Wren Trail. Cactus Wren now heads due north toward Serene Avenue and the 215 Beltway Trail at the Interstate 215 sound wall as it parallels a wash. With the exception of a hill immediately north of the split, the elevation is relatively flat. The trail is in good condition. I rate it 80% on the graffiti - free scale. The small number of tagging I saw was on the concrete walls of the wash. The two benches, street lights that illuminate automatically at night, and trash cans were untouched by vandals. The landscape is ordinary. It is in want of the plush landscaping that is prevalent alongside the Seven Hills and Green Valley Ranch trail systems. Looking west, for the most part I was looking at a concrete wash bordering the backs of the shopping centers off Eastern Avenue. The back of a shopping center isn't attractive. When I looked to the east I saw fences interspersed with open spaces. My wildlife observations were an antelope squirrel and some birds. But what about the Cactus Wren, that long harsh voiced singing bird found in the Southwest and what the trail is named after? I didn't hear one. Then again, the sounds overheard from Eastern Avenue traffic and landscapers would block it out. On the south to North segment, there is one crossing at Serene Avenue. At this spot, Serene Avenue is a two lane road where a nearby traffic circle slows down traffic. Regardless, the crosswalk could use a flashing light that informs motorists that a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. A short distance North of Serene Avenue, Cactus Wren Trail will end at the 215 Beltway Trail, where a left will lead to Eastern and ultimately to Warm Springs and a right will lead to Pecos Road. Both times I made a left on Eastern to patronize a business on the east side. It is in close proximity to several restaurants including Taco Y Taco, In N Out, Cafe Zupas, Denny's, and so on. But I just ate and stopped at Seven Eleven for a refreshment. The Cactus Wren is a good trail that is part of the tapestry of the outstanding City of Henderson trail system. I believe that it has a potential to be a four star trail if the City of Henderson works with the Department of Transportation to carry it over the 215 Beltway to Pebble Park where it will connect to the Pitman Wash Trail. Signing with a concurrency of the Amargosa Trail between the St. Rose Parkway Bridge to Eastern would also up Cactus Wren Trail a star. Until this happens I am signing off this review by representing Cactus Wren Trail with three stars.

I strung together three trails today for a 20 mile bike ride. I liked the Cactus Wren Trail…read morebecause it's nicely landscaped and it's a relatively new trail that follows the Pittman Pecos Wash. I'd give this trail more than 3 stars but the trails are not marked. If it hadn't been for Google Maps, I wouldn't know this existed. You look on the City of Henderson's website and find the trails and they'll have a map. That doesn't help too much when you're riding and there are no signs. I rode the trail until it ends just before Eastern. However, it doesn't end there. You're supposed to head east and the trail goes through the Cactus Wren Park where you take the bridge to get to the St. Rose Parkway Trail. Lacking any signs, I did a bit of a search through the neighborhood before returning to the trail I took at the beginning rather than the real trail. To the City of Henderson--your trails are great. You need better signage in this area, more like the Anthem East Trail area.

Just completed this trail last weekend. It is a nice trail for beginners, my tip is if you want a…read morenice little workout with a decent incline you need to do it clockwise. If you want an easier hike and want to complete the loop then donut counter clockwise. The trail is very rocky so I do recommend some good hiking shoes. Once you get to the top, there is a book you can sign with an amazing view.

Let me start of this review by saying by no means am I "outdoorsy" or a "hiker" so please do not…read moreget the wrong impression that I actually have any idea what I am talking about LOL. As someone who would consider herself mildly active, I found this trail not to be too challenging and suuuuuper enjoyable! There's just something about getting out in nature that is unmatched. My dear friend Terri C asked if I wanted to go on the hike and she picked out this trail for us. We literally brought our coffee with us and had a really nice and pleasurable walk-n-talk date! It was amazing. Most of the trail is paved, which is nice, but once you get more toward the top, it's dirt paths to follow. There's not wedging yourself between rocks or fully climbing boulders or anything, so I found this hike to be sooo enjoyable. You also get unmatched views of the valley! Towards the end, you do have to climb some rocks if you want to get to the tippy top and find the box with the notebook to sign. I loved that someone did this. From looking at photos, I was excited to see an American Flag up here, and literally practiced my poze for it, but the flag was taken down sadly. However, there is still the box with the notebooks that you can sign. We both signed it and dedicated our hike to my late mother and her late father. Definitely recommend this hike to people who are kinda like me, not inactive but not the most physically fit. It took us about 2.5ish hours and was so pleasant.

Although the I-215 Eastern Beltway Trail (abbreviated 215 Trail from here on) has few trees, it…read moreplanted the seed that grew into a methodolical hiking tree whose branches led me to 14 years of hiking adventures in and around Las Vegas. My memories of the 215 Trail goes all the way back to late 2004 when I moved to Henderson from Fort Lauderdale. It is the first Las Vegas valley trail that I hiked on. Back in 2004 this was one of the first official trails in Henderson. The 215 Trail proceeded the local trails that I have grown to love over the years including the Union Pacific Trail, Amargosa Trail, and Anthem East Trail. One year later in 2005, we moved to Black Mountain Villas which is to the southeast of the trail. I remember my time there hiking on it to the Gibson Road Jack In Box. From 2006 til today when I have lived in different addresses, the 215 Trail has always been near to me physically and in heart. This year alone I've done four hikes on it.   So what is this 215 Trail that led me to years of hiking adventures? It is a 9 mile asphalt trail that parallels eastbound I-215 from Warm Springs Road at the west to Acacia Gardens at the east where it transitions into the Union Pacific Railroad Trail. From Warm Springs to Spencer Street it travels north to south then from Spencer to Acacia Gardens west to east. Along its journey it connects to the Amargosa Trail via Cactus Wren Trail and Réunion Trails Park. It follows a gradual downhill slope towards Acacia Gardens.   The 215 Trail is more of an utilitarian than scenic trail. There is a major difference between the 215 Trail and the parallel picturesque Amargosa Trail in Henderson. There a few trees bordering the right of way. On many stretches the prime scenery is a giant faceless wall bordering the freeway with residential walls. Near major intersections, it is common to see the backside of shopping malls. From hiking the trail I feel that its greatest moments are crossing over the Duck Creek bridge, bordering the gardens of the UNLV Cooperative Extension, alongside Réunion Trails Park, the Las Vegas Strip views by St. Rose Parkway and Stephanie Street, and the grand Vista of Black Mountain at the easternmost point. Additionally during a light drizzle, it is a nice sight seeing the adjacent wash from Warm Springs leading into Duck fill up with water.   When I hike on this trail it is usually in conjunction with a system of trails and roads. Much to my regret, it will be impossible to explain these hikes on account of the Yelp character limit. Let me say that with the exception of Warm Springs to Eastern these hikes are in conjunction with the far more scenic Amargosa and Paseo Verde Trails.   From over a decade of hiking I am well aware of a few flaws. The major flaw is that it is dangerous where the trail crosses major highways along with heavy traffic exiting and entering eastbound 215. Some of these approaches onto the eastbound 215 have blind spots that elevate the danger. Add rush hour into the mix and the danger of being ran over increases. I call these intersections "the walls" because at certain times of the day they are so dangerous that it is wise to walk a block south to a safer signalized intersection. These danger spots include Eastern Avenue, St. Rose Parkway, Stephanie Street, and Gibson Road. Recently, the auto-trail user conflict was alleviated at Pebble Road with a new overpass. With that said, I will bring up secondary flaws. There is a want for street lights along the majority of the right of way. The only section with street lights that I am aware of is the short stretch bordering Réunion Trails Park. Currently there is the situation of a gap between St. Rose and Green Valley Parkways in the backyard of Green Valley Ranch. It is my understanding that the gap will be complete by 2020. Then there is the issue of maintenance. From Windmill to Eastern, graffiti and stickers obliterate the majority of signs. Quite a few of the same businesses that are attractive from the parking lots of Henderson and Paradise show their unsightly side to the 215 Trail user. Lastly there is little shade. Approaching the Yelp character limit, I will emphasize that the 215 Trail is a good utilitarian trail. Used in conjunction with Amargosa, Union Pacific Railroad Trail, or Paseo Verde Trails this good trail leads to a great adventure.

One of the many Henderson trails throughout the city…read more This trail is your plain Jane average trail. It's a paved trail that runs parallel to I-215. Luckily part of the trail has a sound wall so it blocks the highway road noise. It connects to the Union Pacific Trail riding east. It's great for running or biking. I certainly take advantage of this trail finally being opened. The city has installed pedestrian crossways when you come to roads such as Valle Verde. It gives me another reason to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.