Hike Report: The Historic Railroad Trail

Yesterday Donna and I hiked some of the Historic Railroad Trail near the Hoover Dam. The one-way trail is about 3.5 miles long, making the total distance for the hike about 7 miles (3.5 miles out plus 3.5 miles in). The trail is actually an old 30 mile railroad grade that connected Boulder City to the Hoover Dam construction project. Construction of the grade began in 1931, and the railroad remained in use until 1961. In 1984, this section of the railroad was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2015, it was designated a National Historic Trail.

The most unique part of the trail is the first 2.25 miles or so, which passes through 5 tunnels. Each tunnel is about 25 feet in diameter and about 300 feet long. Views of Lake Mead and the surrounding area are also impressive, and wildlife such as bighorn sheep can also be seen at times.

We began our hike at the Alan Bible Visitor Center on Lakeshore Road just north of Highway 93 a few miles east of Boulder City. This visitor center also serves as a trailhead for the River Mountains Loop Trail, a 34 mile developed trail. We did not hike the entire trail, but below are some pictures of the section we did hike.

Parking lot at trail head. At left are 2 composting toilets. Just up the hill to the left is the Visitor Center, which has modern restrooms and various displays.

This gate is about a quarter mile into the hike. The sign says, "DANGER Extreme Conditions! STOP Do not hike Jun - Sep HEAT KILLS"

Since this is an old railroad grade, the trail is wide and pretty level. You can see the trail weaving along the base of the mountains to the left.

My intrepid bride on the trail with Lake Mead in the background.

You can clearly see the water line in this picture. Yeah, the lake could use some water.

The first of the 5 tunnels. You can see the second tunnel from this vantage point as well.

Donna snapped this shot of me just before entering the first tunnel, with the second tunnel visible in the distance.

I tried to show the ribbed look of the walls and ceiling of this tunnel in this photo.

I took this photo from the Visitor Center. In the center-left of the shot, you can see the parking lot of the trail head. The trail itself is also visible as it weaves along the base of the mountains in the center of the picture, just a little above and to the right of the parking lot/trail head.

A marina on Lake Mead. Again, notice the water lines indicating how low the lake is.

Las Vegas KOA at Sam's Town

After our stay at Riverside RV Park in Laughlin (see "Riverside RV Park"), it was great to arrive at Las Vegas KOA, formerly Sam's Town RV Park. We spent a week here in October 2012 (see "Sam's Town RV Park"). Since then, KOA has taken over the park, and that's probably a good thing.

The park appears pretty much as it did 3 years ago. One physical change is how the sewer is set up. Previously, you placed your hose in the utility box, then slid a panel down to hold it in place. Now traps are available next to the utility boxes, and this is much better. Another change for the better is WiFi is now provided free, and it is pretty reliable. It's not the fastest connection around, but we never lost a signal. Cable TV is pretty good, offering 4 HBO stations, but it does not offer some stations we really enjoy, such as PBS and the Food Network.

Other than that, things are pretty much as they were 3 years ago. The place is well maintained, and all the facilities (restrooms, showers, pool, laundry, etc.) are well cared for. I only saw 1 washing machine out of order in the laundry room. For dog owners, there are 2 grassy dog runs. The pool also has a hot tub. Employees are visible throughout the day in all areas of the park. Office staff are efficient and courteous. Overall, this is a good place to stay, and rates are reasonable, unlike many KOA parks.

Boulder Highway runs right next to the park, and you can hear traffic. However, it did not keep us awake at night, and we really didn't notice it very much. There are sirens at all hours of the day and night along the highway. A Walmart is located right across the Boulder Highway, and various other businesses are located nearby.

The only real negative for me is there is no propane available in the park. Office staff said a vendor made rounds through the park twice a week, but a Costco card was required. I've never been to a Costco, so that was not an option for us. We found a U-Haul outlet a few blocks south on Boulder Boulevard and filled our tanks there.

Below are some pictures of the park. I did not include any in my post 3 years ago.

This is the backside of the office. Our site was located directly across from it, and I took this picture from our site.

Restrooms/showers near our site. There is another restrooms/shower on the south side of the property, and the pool area also has restrooms/showers.

One of the two dog runs in the park. That is the Eastside Cannery Hotel in the background.

There are quite a few trees throughout the park.

Most spots are back-in sites, but there are quite a number of pull-thrus that will accommodate larger rigs.

This building is in the center of the park. The fenced in area is the pool area, complete with hot tub. Restrooms/showers are in the center. On the backside -- not visible in this picture -- is the laundry.

Our site

Hike Report: Willow Springs/White Rock Hills Loop, Red Rock Canyon Park

In October, 2014, Donna and I visited Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just west of Las Vegas (see "Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area"). Unfortunately, I left the camera in the hotel room that day and did not get any pictures of this beautiful place. We decided at that time that we wanted to return to the park some day, and we really wanted to do some hiking out there. Yesterday, we did return, and we took one great hike.

It was a beautiful day for a hike. We arrived at the park just before 10. We stopped at the Visitor Center near the entrance first to get some information about the trail we planned to hike. The Visitor Center is a great source of information, with displays both inside and out. Take time to tour this facility; learning about this area only makes your visit that much more enjoyable. For more information about this park, visit these links:

• U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
• Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association

 On the second site above, be sure to visit the hiking page.

The Visitor Center near the park's entrance

Donna at the Calico Hills

Our hike today would be in these mountains. We would enter through a canyon in the left of this picture, hike on the backside, then come back around on a trail in the foreground of this picture at the foot of the mountains.

Our target for the day was the Willow Springs parking lot. We would start there and hike the Willow Springs/White Rock Hills Loop. We were advised to walk the loop trail in a clockwise direction. We started off heading northwest following the Rocky Gap Road shortly after 10:00 AM. Beginning elevation was 4,545 feet. About a quarter mile into our trip, we realized we had left our hiking poles in the truck. We would miss those poles on today's hike.

Trailhead, with trail heading up the canyon.

About a half mile or so into the hike, we came to our first trail junction on the backside of the mountain where we had started. We followed the trail north away from Rocky Gap Road. For me, this next 2 to 3 miles of the hike would be the most beautiful and dramatic. We would gradually climb in elevation, eventually reaching a height of about 5,460 feet, a gain of roughly 900 feet from our starting point. We would pass through full-sized trees on the slopes, and patchy snow would be visible at the higher elevations, especially on the north slopes.

This is where we turned off Rocky Gap Road. We were on the back side of the mountains now, heading north.

The summit is beyond the colored spires in the center of the picture.

Keep your eyes open. About a mile or so into the hike, there is a trail junction. Our trail turned off at a right angle and headed down into a canyon. The other trail continues up a slope towards La Madre Spring. The junction is an easy one to miss, especially if you are looking up at the beautiful scenery.

Lots of trees on this section of the hike. Donna is barely visible ahead.

This picture was taken from near the summit. It looks back along the trail we have hiked. The small knoll in the center of the picture is where we split off from Rocky Gap Road. If you click on the picture and enlarge it, you can see portions of the trail.

Our target was the summit on a saddle near the high point of the mountains. As we wound our way through the trees, our target slowly but steadily grew closer. All the time, we were slowly climbing in elevation, and our aging legs were growing tired. Donna began questioning why she married me, which she often does on these hikes.

Looking east from the summit. In the center, you can see the tops of the White Rocks.

Eventually we reached the summit and were rewarded by views in both directions. The hardest part of the hike was now behind us, and we began the long descent down to the White Rocks parking area. On the previous 3 or so miles of the hike, we had seen only 2 couples. One couple was ahead of us and continued on the La Madre Spring trail; the other was a Japanese couple we met near the summit. On the slope from the summit to White Rocks parking lot, though, we encountered almost a dozen people.

On the hike from the summit to the White Rocks parking lot, you break out of the mountains with great views to the east.

At the parking lot, we found the trailhead for Willow Springs. The sign said it was 2.2 miles. This section of the trail skirts the base of a line of mountains. For the most part, it is a gentle downhill slope. At just over a mile, the trail dips into a draw, and there is a long climb up from there to a hill. Once atop the hill, though, the first parking area at Willow Springs is visible, so you know the trip is almost done. There are some trail junctions along this section of trail, so be alert. We were told the final stretch of the trail was a good place to spot mountain sheep, but we saw none on our hike.

Looking south. Our starting point was one of the canyons in these mountains. So now we walk along the base of these mountains to return to the truck.

Close up of one of the mountains.

Easy to see how the park gets its name.

At the very end of the hike, you'll probably encounter numerous people exploring the rocky area along the base of the mountains. Most are only walking out a short distance, so you'll encounter most very close to the parking area.

Finally, the mouth of our canyon. A parking lot is visible at bottom left. Our truck was parked farther up the canyon.

This is a great hike, but it did tax our abilities. Total distance was 6.34 miles, with the first 3 miles climbing steadily for 900 feet. Most of the trail is rocky. This has several affects. First, you have to watch every step, and this slows you down. It also leaves your feet quite sore after 6 plus miles. And it is a bit dangerous, with quite a bit of slipping and sliding. If you don't plant your feet firmly, you can sustain injuries.

The trail itself is very clear. There are places where the trail has been rerouted, so watch carefully to be sure you are on the right trail. There are also a couple of false trails. If you look ahead, though, these should not be a problem. Signs are not plentiful, but they are where they need to be.

Typical of the signs you can expect to find along the trail. Most are in better shape than this one. But they do a good job of indicating direction and distance.

Riverside RV Park

We stayed at the Riverside RV park just over 3 years ago. I didn't like the place then and I like it even less now. The only thing I can say that recommends it is its location. It is within walking distance of the Aquarius, our favorite casino, as well as other local businesses such as the Laughlin Outlet Center and the In-and-Out Burger joint.

Having said that, I will say that the park can probably be quite nice if you get a nice spot. We've failed to do that on both of our stays. The park is extremely popular during the cooler months, and folks return year after year. Those that are "regulars" appear to be able to select where they stay. Those that are not so lucky get assigned to much less desirable areas.

The RV park is large. As the park moves west from Casino Boulevard, the land slopes up the mountains. To accommodate, the park is terraced with the section farthest west at a much higher elevation than the section nearest Casino Boulevard.

The interior roads of the park are all paved. Many of the sites have concrete pads, but many do not. The area where we were assigned was completely unpaved. It basically was a large gravel parking lot, and spaces were packed very close. In fact, we did not have enough room to extend our awning. I was even able to hear my neighbor's television at night from my trailer.

But there are nice areas in the park, especially those in the middle section. Restrooms and laundry rooms are plentiful, but probably about 20% or so of washers and dryers do not work. Cable worked fine with plenty of channels, but WiFi was costly. I did not purchase the WiFi option. I did get WiFi last time we were there, but the signal was so weak it was practically useless. Propane is available at the office. A shuttle bus ferries folks from bus tops around the park to the Riverside West Casino on a regular basis.

Below are some pictures of the park.

We saw some great sunsets from the park

Park office with Riverside Hotel rising in the background.

Another great sunset from the park.

The section where we were assigned.

This photo shows how the park is terraced up the slope.

One of the many laundry rooms in the park. The park is very large, so a shuttle runs through on a regular schedule to take residents to the casino.

A great view east from the park.

A street from one of the nicer areas of the park.

Another nice street in the park.

Another gravel parking lot in the park.

Section on the right is where we were assigned.

Horseshoe Trail: Davis Dam Overlook

Off of the road to Pyramid Canyon outside Laughlin (see “Davis Dam and Lake Mohave”), there is another trailhead. This one is for the Horseshoe Trail crushed granite trail, that switchbacks over the small mountain and connects with the paved Riverwalk Exploration Trail mentioned in some of my previous posts. On the day that Donna and I walked over Davis Dam, we also explored this trail. However, we only walked the portion to the Davis Dam Overlook.

This portion of the trail is not long, but it does require a bit of uphill travel. It climbs a long, slow grade to the crest of a hill, then there is a short downhill section before it climbs one more time. At the end is a short loop which provides views in various directions. The actual overlook is located a bit downhill from the high point. This trail is heavily used by horses, so watch your step and be sure to give horses the right of way, which is standard trail procedure.

The views are great all along the trail in all directions. I took a number of pictures, some of which I have posted below. We started up the trail a bit late in the day. We had previously been walking in full sun over the dam, so we were quite warm and had taken off our jackets. However, as we began coming down from the overlook, the sun began setting in the west and we found ourselves in the shadows quite a bit on the return trip, and it was a bit cool.

But this is a great trail and it provides numerous photo ops.

Trailhead to Horseshoe Trail. Note horses in pens lower right. Earthen Davis Dam is in left center of picture.

View of Arizona from the trail. The highway is the one that connects Laughlin to Kingman.

Mountains to the west. I suspect Grapevine Canyon and Spirit Mountain are in there somewhere (see "Christmas Tree Pass and Grapevine Canyon")

Davis Dam, power plant, and Lake Mohave from the trail.

Donna near the top of the trail.

Donna in same place as in picture above. I climbed to the top of the small hill to snap this picture. View is towards the west.

The casinos of Laughlin.

I love the way shadows play on the mountains. Depending on the time of day and the light, the mountains look different.

King of the mountain.