July 20, 2010 –  During the regular Henderson City Council meeting July 20th,  members of the River Mountains Trail Partnership presented Mayor Hafen and council members the National Recreation Trail designation plaque from Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.  Henderson has 11.5 miles trail under the National Recreation Trail designation .

Some of the presentation highlights follow: 

For the local community the River Mountains Loop Trail is a place to:

• Walk the dog….go jogging….
• Ride the bike with family & friends
• Enjoy horseback riding
• Go hiking….take wildflower and wildlife photos
• Train for races & marathons like Pumpkinman & Silverman & many others
• Roller-blade, skateboard…and long boarding
• A place to explore local history….Railroad Pass,..Texas Acres…Henderson town site…Three kids Mine…and more
• A place to learn/become educated about Water, Power, and how man has changed the desert landscape.

Henderson has completed 11.5 trail miles of the 34-mile total.

These 11.5 miles provide: 

Connectivity and linkage to:

• Boulder City and Bootleg Canyon
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area & Hoover Dam – designations in their own right
• Lake Las Vegas Resort
• Other trails like the Equestrian Trail, Wetlands Connector, Burkholder Trail soon to be completed and the McCullough Hills Trail in planning

Alternative transportation: 

• To work and play from Henderson to Boulder City & visa versa…
• To many locations within Henderson and beyond via connectivity to other trails
• Provides safety to Cyclist getting them off of US 93/95 through Railroad Pass

View-shed – yes views of: 

• Las Vegas (night and day)……The River Mountains…..
• McCullough Mountains…..Spring Mtn. Range in early spring with snow

Venue’ for Special events: 

• Silverman Triathlon
• Calico Racing 5-K,10-K runs
• Pumpkinman Triathlon
• International Triathlon Union Championships 2011
• Viva Las Vegas 100 ride
• Training rides for various bike & running organizations

Tourist Destination Trail: 

• Outdoor get away for business visitors
• Eco-tourism visitors experiencing Mojave Desert via bike
• Resort to Resort Trekking

With trail completion the Trail Partnership is already working with city park planners on safety enhancements and completion of the River Mountains Loop Trail Interpretive Plan.  Going forward we hope to help implement a system wide, possibly a regional “Trail Watch” program of volunteers to be the “Eyes & Ears” on the trails.

With tonight’s presentation of the National Recreation Trails Designation to the City of Henderson we are here to say thank you for your support;  your dedication… and for being the best Trail City in the State of Nevada.

Henderson Trails  really  make  this   “A Place to Call Home” ….“You guys get it!!!”