Close to Vegas perfect place in hot summer to cool down beautiful wildlife peaceful campgroundsread more

Griffith Peak is only the 3rd highest peak in Southern Nevada. Don't get scared. The hike isn't too…read morebad and it's worth it considering the view you get. If anything the distance is what makes this hike difficult. I don't know the exact distance but time wise it took us about 3 hours each way going at a decent speed with short breaks when needed. Most of the hike is shaded from traveling under tree coverage or between the mountains. There are also a lot of switchbacks and the incline isn't really too steep except for maybe the very bottom and very top. Along the hike, probably towards the middle, there's an overlook looking down at, I believe, Cathedral Rock or Echo Cliff. Be careful while along the edge cause it is a long way down. Near the top, there's a signage pointing you in the direction to Griffith Peak or Charleston Peak. You'll see that there was a huge fire once. The view from here is pretty nice but continue on towards the top of Griffith Peak to enjoy that view. There you'll find a box which I'm assuming there's some type of notepad to log that you made it up there. I was so busy enjoying the view I forgot to look inside. I'd diffently do this hike again. Who knows I might just decide to go to Charleston Peak when I reach the signage. Excellent hike. Being plenty of water with you to carry and leave some in car for after the hike.

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.

Calico Hills One is the first stop on the beautiful scenic drive in Red Rock Canyon…read more This trailhead provides access to hikes that are located within the Calico Hills as well as access to the visitor center hikes. The trail is 3.2 miles one way and you will be hiking amongst washes, canyons, and large sandstone boulders. The scenery is epic and you may find some interesting rocks, fossils, birds, and desert wildflowers. Be sure to take time and enjoy where you are. The trail goes all the way to Sandstone Quarry but there are other trails along the way that you may want to traverse and in the end you can hike a complete loop. The hike is relatively easy as it is well groomed except for a couple of areas that may require a steep scramble or two. Remember to pack a hat, sunscreen, good hiking shoes, and lots of water. Best time to hike this trail is early morning or spring/fall. Most of all remember to LEAVE NO TRACE and enjoy the beauty of this incredible place.

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.

Red Springs is one of my favorite spaces right next to Red Rock. The great advantage here is that…read morethere is no fee to enjoy it and parking is free (for now). I like coming here in the fall when the many trees here are changing color; it makes me feel like we do have an autumn even in the desert. The boardwalk that traverses the space is nice for strolling and you have excellent views of some of Red Rock without having to drive into the loop.

Great place to visit. When you need God. What happens in darkness always comes to light.read more

Didn't know that Red Rock Canyon requires a timed park pass for entry. Had to settle for the Red…read moreRock Canyon Overlook instead. Located just a few minutes drive from Red Rock Canyon, it was perfect for a quick stop while we explored the area. Limited parking, but we found a spot early on a Saturday morning. Lots of bikers which occupied much of the parking area. Great views on a sunny weekend morning. Perfect to snap a few photos before heading to Cactus Joe's and the state park.

It was a very cold day. Just stopped to take photos did not dress properly so we left. Wish we had…read moremore time.

My first ever hike that I took 16 years ago in Vegas. I took there so many friends, I took there…read morehusband when we were dating and now my kids. It never fails, it's super easy and in the spring so beautiful when snow is melting and provides creek with water. I have to say that with growing population of our city, this hike is super popular too. It was packed this past Sunday. Just be prepared. Kids were talking about waterfall for days. Our nature is so different and so beautiful

In A Nutshell:…read more -First Creek Trail is nice little out & back trail system 8 miles down the road, just outside Red Rock Canyon. -You will may see some wild donkeys grazing if you keep scanning your environment. -The trail is dog friendly. -You will engage in various terrain consisting of both desert, shrubs, trees & water in the creek. -The sound of fresh water flowing is nice, especially when you don't hear it over human voices. Overall, this is an easy hike to start your day off right.

It is absolutely stunning over here! This is the second time I've hiked this and I love it…read more It's about a 35 minute drive from the strip. There is an entry fee of $22 but they do have a discount for military. You can also make reservations online. There's plenty of parking and the entry fee includes a scenic drive as well. Make sure you come early to beat the heat and don't forget your water. Do I recommend this hike? Absolutely! What are you waiting for.

Second time here. It is impossible to tire of this magnificent feat of nature…read more The trails are "fairly" arduous but I managed to do them with my two fake knees. This is a spiritual and sacred place.