Review Date
May 14, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: lordcerv ,  Downhiller

Summary:
I used to ride around Cottonwood until I came here for the first time. Now I never go anywhere else in Las Vegas. The DH trails are way way hairy at the beginning but mellow out in the end. There's alot of "just hang on, lean back and pray" sections...so when you come to them..just hang on, lean back and ummm...

If it's your first time. I recommend shuttling up and taking boy scout down to girl scout a few times. If hitting the drop offs on these trails is easy to you.....the ones in the DH section are only about ten times tougher....so good luck with that.

On a positive note, everytime you show up here you'll get better and eventually won't give a second thought to that 30 foot rocky cliff dropoff you're heading towards at 20 mph into a hairpin turn on 45 degree off camber pitch around a huge boulder. Seriously.

Recommended Route:
To start: Boyscout to Girlscout
Next: Boyscout to West Leg
Then: Snakeback to the pavillion (hang on tight at the end because you'll be headed into rolling hills that launch you into the next 30 foot dip.)
Finally: Snakeback to Reaper and anything else. Summer months the dirt gets really loose and it's easy to slide out doing 30 mph.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Hurl at Cottonwood, Boneshaker at Cowboy Trails

Review Date
April 3, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: mild beast ,  Downhiller

Summary:
i rode BC 2 consecutive days.

the trails are great. whoever thot these up and made them has excellent vision. the lines are wonderful. perfect.

my only beef is that the shuttles does NOT go to the top of the mtn (only matters if you want to do the DH trails). you are looking at a 15+ minute slog to the top. it's an all push event on a DH bike. no shade. it detracts from the overall experience in 2 ways:
1 - it takes / wastes time
2 - it takes a bit of juice out of you

both those combine to give you fewer runs.

the DH trails start out on rugged rocky terrain. technical stuff. the ratings are good. if you've ridden mammoth, add 1 diamond to those ratings (i.e., a single black at BC is like a double at Mammoth).

after the initial part of the mtn, the trails turn into amazing flowing lines. just maching speed. some of the trails end up in a killer jump park. the locals did a great job on this. some of the gaps have excellent concrete work done on them.

locals are friendly and helpful.

the shuttle is pretty decent and priced properly. you may think $5 is a bit steep for the ride up, but remember, you'd be driving down as well if it were your car doing the shuttling.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Stay at the Hacienda Hotel & Casino. it's a short drive from BC and you can check out the amazing "multi use" drainage ditch that runs for like 2 miles. killer stuff.

oh yeah.. $2 Black Jack tables, for those of you that like losing money and drinking for "free".

Review Date
September 21, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: NMPhi767 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
This is a great place for all mountain bikers. It has trails that cover all abilities. Alot of it is off camber which I hate but I guess I need to learn to ride that way. I have ridden all of the cross country trails and they are all great. The off camber pitch and steep terrain does not allow for many errors so stay focused.

As for downhill trails, I have only tried Snakeback and Diva on my single crown Zokie All Mountain SL. I snapped my front axle on snakeback once. I guess I should switch to a through axle for that kind of stuff. None the less, they were a blast and give you your adrenaline fix for the day.

Thanks Brent Thompson and Boulder City Parks Department!

Recommended Route:
Beginner - Girlscout to Boyscout with some Caldera in between if you want to add some mileage. Head back down Boyscout and if you want more challenge try west leg the rest of the way down after boyscout ends or just head down girlscout. More advanced trailriders will enjoy the climb up West Leg and Boyscout. Come down Skyline and East Leg for some exciting technical descending without all of the downhill craziness. Try all of the trails. They all rock!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I am still exploring Las Vegas area trails. Nothing so far has come close to BC. I have high hopes for the Cowboy Trails. We'll see.

Review Date
March 25, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: overkillphil ,  Downhiller

Summary:
Bootleg Canyon is a sweet mountain bike park. It offers challenging trails for all riders, from crosscountry to downhillers, even dirt jumpers(the dirt jumps have concreted lips). In addition all levels of trails are present for crosscountry from novice like Girlscout to blackdiamond(expert only)like Skyline,and for downhillers there are trails for beginners like Lower Snakeback to triple blackdiamond like Ginger. The restroom/showers are first rate and parking is plentiful. Best of all... IT'S FREE!!! It's a CITY PARK. The local bike shop All Mountain Cycle is at the bottom of the hill and the staff is helpful with repairs as well as trail tips. Where else can you skip the snow and ride all winter. For info... check the website @ Bootlegcanyon.org (the address has changed due to some domain issues)

Recommended Route:
Try Snakeback or Armageddon to start(single black diamond), then if you feel up to, it give Ona Lee or Kavorkian a try. Keep your tire pressure low for traction and your bottom bracket high(lots of exposed lava rock). The downhill trails are purpose built to keep the speeds under 35mph while keeping them challenging.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Try Elevater Shaft and the Poopshoot.

Review Date
December 12, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: raulh7814 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
The Snakeback downhill course in Bootleg Canyon is classified as a blue, although I found it quite technical and challenging. The top half of the course is rugged and exposed, the trail is tight and technical. There is a 3/12 foot rock ledge you can go off from with speed. There are other trails that originate from the original Snakeback and are much harder. The bottom half of the Snakeback is not exposed and is not rocky or rugged. It has fast long chutes that end in launches of big air into more chutes. I did not ride any of them, I had enough challenge with Snakeback.

Recommended Route:
I am a regular cross country rider and enjoy downhill courses occassionally on a 7 inch travel rig. My skill level is between novice and intermediate on the downhill. If you are skilled enough you will have a lot of fun on this trail. I would recommen it for riders that are above a solid intermediate skill on downhill rigs.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I would recommend hooking up with the people at the local bike shop All Mountain Cyclery. They gave us a lot of information on the trails and they run a shuttle at dirt cheap prices. They are very flexible when they worked with us and super friendly.

If you shuttle with them Jeff might have the time to ride with you. I highly recommend it if you are below the expert level. He can show you how to tame the terrain.