I’m going to Vegas for training and am planning on bringing my MUni to hit the surrounding trails. I’ll be there April 9-13.
So . . .
If the MUni in that area sucks, I can always bring my Coker.
Hi, Andy,
I haven’t ridden Muni in the LV area but have done tons of rock climbing in the Red Rocks, 15 minutes west of the Strip. There’s a 13 mile loop road that passes countless big rocks and slabs and I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t find a bunch of Little Moabs out there. Likewise, the trials potential is limitless. So far as trail riding goes, I doubt it’s legal to ride on the long approach trails to some of the bigger rocks (up to 2,500 feet high), but these trails are pretty flat anyhow. My hunch is for difficult trails you’d need to head more into the mountains. Cokering the 13 mile loop would be pretty good, as the scenics are really spectacular.
JL
Las Vegas doesn’t sound all that exciting, I was more interested in the surrounding areas. The Red Rocks looks interesting. A local bikeshop sells Mountain Bike maps for $8 a pop but it looks like what I’ll do is go in there check out a route or two that look interesting and head out to the trails.
Thanks for the info.
Out near Boulder City is a downhill mountain biking park called Bootleg Canyon. The hardest trails are probably not rideable by mortals (hiking up Ginger, it was quite difficult to even see where the trail was; the downhillers are doing 10-15 foot drops), but most of them are quite fun, loose technical singletrack, plus there’s a small terrain park at the bottom. There’s a paved road up to the top, so you can shuttle as much as you want.
Looks ROCKIN’! I smell a road trip…
When you were there, did you ride a bike or a unicycle? (Do they let unicycles ride the trails?)
You got that right, Joshua. Check the thread I started on Bootleg Canyon. Soon as we get the lowdown, we’re there!
JL
I was on my unicycle; the guy who runs it was out doing trail maintenance, and he thought it was totally cool. Other unicyclists had been there before, probably KH by his description.
Annoyingly, Jacquie and I will be in Las Vegas April 14-16. But no MUni. That Bootleg Canyon sounds pretty awesome…
Peter Rosendahl lived in LV for a few years, but I don’t think he was interested in unicycling on dirt, so I doubt he’d be a good source of info. I haven’t been to Red Rock, but I’ve been to the Valley of Fire. Unicycling would likely be illegal there, but it’s great scenery. Not as close though.
Andy
Red Rock canyon would be great on a Coker and you won’t be kicked out as I saw many cyclists doing the loop when I was there last September.
It is very close to the strip too.
Riding on the dirt may not be a good idea. Most likely not allowed.
Hiking would be great. They give times it will tkae to hike the trails so you can pick on that suits your needs.
Take lots of water !
I saw desert turtles and chipmonks there.
If you haven’t been to Vegas, you may be surprised. There is so much to do and see without gambling. I love it and don’t really gamble.
I will be there at the end of September again this year. (4th time)
There are bike shops in the area. Check the phone book in the hotel when you arrive. You can rent bikes too. That makes it much less of a hassle traveling and no additional bagage fees either that way.
By-the-way, no bicycles or unicycle are allowed on the strip.
Enjoy your trip.
Take care,
Darren
I’ve done Bootleg Canyon about 5 times. My company used to hold meetings in Las Vegas. I’d stay at a dive in Boulder City and commute to the Strip.
The extreme downhills are hazardous on anything. I had to “ghost ride” my muni down some, and even then I had trouble rappeling down after it. But the cross country trails are great!
Last time I was there I ran into a guy riding a fixed gear mountain bike. He did a trackstand for about 5 minutes while we talked. It turned out he trains riders for Cirque de Soleil.
David
Hey, thanks for the pictures Tom! Looks awful fun, especially those sections where you can’t even see the trail…
Thanks everyone for the advice. I now have a plan. I will hit up boot leg canyon at least once, most likely twice. Also, there is red rock canyon . . . or even death valley.