Mountain biking is enormously popular in Southern Nevada, as Las Vegas is surrounded on all sides by extensive mountain ranges and bike trails, with more on the way every year. The valley is home to some of the best trails in the country, and definitely some of the most scenic.
A solid mountain bike can be a big investment. So, if you’re just starting out and want to see how you enjoy it, consider a daily rental from shops in Vegas, including Las Vegas Cyclery, Trek, Giant Las Vegas and Southwest Bikes. Rentals are especially great for out-of-towners who couldn’t fit their bike in their carry-on.
Given the wide range of trails, mountain bikers can enjoy speeding through the elements year-round. Of course, mind the weather and don’t underestimate the desert heat, even if you’re an experienced rider.
With that in mind, here are five mountain biking areas we recommend:
Blue Diamond Loop
This 10½-mile loop around the town of Blue Diamond is part of the Cottonwood Valley Trail System, found at the southern end of the Spring Mountains, where Pahrump Valley Highway and Red Rock Canyon Road meet. With an average grade of 2 percent and a gain of just over 600 feet of elevation, it’s a great, full trail for beginners and intermediate riders. Along the way, take in the stunning desert landscape of the mountains, plus the unnatural yet amusing “rubber ducky tree,” a Joshua tree decorated with, you guessed it, rubber ducks. Plus, the trail starts and ends not far from Cottonwood Station, the eatery of choice in Blue Diamond.
Sloan Canyon
You’ll find the Sloan Canyon trails at the north end of the McCullough Range, surrounding Black Mountain in the south Las Vegas Valley. There are a whopping 116 trails open to mountain bikes, and 41 suitable for e-biking. With names like Angry Karen, Cactus Revenge, Pandemic and Purple Nurple, you can spend just as much time here thinking about the origin of trail names as you can sharpening your biking skills. The area has about 25 easier trails, 70 intermediate or blue trails, nine black diamond and one double black diamond, “Break It Till You Make It,” which is simply described on Trailforks as “Yikes! This trail…!”
Spicer Ranch
This one falls in the “if you know, you know” category because it is about two hours northwest of Las Vegas. Spicer Ranch in Beatty was transformed from a working ranch to a working ranch with miles and miles of rolling single track. It’s been in the Spicer family for generations. With about 70 miles of trail these days, the tracks (former burro trails) are suitable for all skill levels, best used in the early morning or evening hours when the temps cool off. There are no day-use fees, but there is a donation box to support land and community care.
Bootleg Canyon
Come back into town and head over to Boulder City for Bootleg Canyon, home to 42 trails of all skill levels totaling 50 miles. This area may be the most popular for the thrill of the trails and views of Lake Mead and Las Vegas. The name comes from the history of bootlegging in the area during Prohibition. Today, it’s a revered trail system with double black diamond trails like Armageddon and Reaper, as well as green trails like Desert Cruise and Par None. For safety, the area is not recommended when temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
Lee Canyon
Head up to Lee Canyon in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area when the mountain biking season kicked off early. Though the winter season was cut short by a freak heatwave, Lee is the place to be when summer starts cooking, averaging about 20 to 30 degrees cooler. One of their prime summer activities is mountain biking, with five trails ranging from green to double black diamond, bike rentals and ski lift rides. If you’ve never mountain biked before, check out the Experience Downhill package available for ages 10 and older.