River Mountain Trail, NV

Overview
A nicely-maintained hiking trail to the top of the River Mountains overlooking Boulder City, NV. Connects with two options for easy peak bagging and wonderful views of Lake Mead and Las Vegas.


History
This trail was originally constructed by CCC, Civilian Conservation Corp from 1935-1937, crews working to build the Boulder (Hoover) Dam. Much of the original stonework can be seen on the switchbacks.Boulder City was founded as a "company town" by the federal government as a place for CCC crews to live. Unlike the rest of Nevada, gambling and alcohol were completely forbidden. Soon, many moonshine stills were established in an area just outside of town, which gives the collection of mountain bike trails out here the general name of Bootleg Canyon. Much debris from these old stills and the people who ran them can still be seen.

Hike
The trail starts gently uphill, meandering in and out of the washes along the disturbed periphery of Boulder City. After crossing a powerline road, the area becomes less disturbed and the trail runs up into the main canyon. The hiking trail intersects a mountain bike trail a few times but is prominently signed as No Bikes, and I have never seen a cyclist on the hiking trail. Soon enough, the trail ascends two sets of well-built switchbacks to the saddle between Red and Black Mountains. From the intersection at the saddle, take Red Mtn Trail to the left or Black Mtn Trail to the right to enjoy the views.

You can also connect to many of the Bootleg Canyon Mountain Biking trails from here.

2022-03-16 autumnstars