Quiet thrills just beyond Las Vegas
Writer Robin Soslow wrote a fantastic article for The Roanoke Times called “Quiet thrills just beyond Las Vegas” that just happens to be about our favorite Las Vegas hiking trail.
She captured the essence of the River Mountains Loop Trail…
The River Mountains Loop Trail rings rugged peaks that rise about 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Completed in late 2012, this trail gives Nevada an earthy spectacle to rival its world-famous Strip, a free hiking-biking jackpot of million-dollar views: rolling hills, tunnels, the Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, even Strip casinos twinkling like gemstones in the distance.
Striking scenery along the 12-foot-wide asphalt path, which has earned designation as a National Recreation Trail, attracts leisure hikers, runners and cyclists. Its aridity and elevation changes draw competitive athletes. Train here and race terrain will feel like easy street. The RMLT is no longer a locals’ secret. “We receive inquiries from around the world about this trail,” said Mauricia Baca, executive director of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation.
Here’s one more example of Robin’s article about the River Mountains Loop Trail:
The landscape’s flocked with cactus, sunray flowers, swaying palms and the “Magic Tree,” a cottonwood near the mile marker 13 nicknamed for its ability to thrive in the middle of nowhere. Residents, most active early morning, include bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and skittering lizards. Midday, animal sightings will generally be dogs being walked on a leash. There’s Mojave Desert heritage, too, with interpretative signs — good excuses for water stops — and a historic pipeline that first brought water from Lake Mead to the Las Vegas Valley.
Check out the entire article about this wonderful Las Vegas hiking trail: Quiet thrills just beyond Las Vegas
