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Cowboy Trails
4 reviews
3.5 of 5
This is a fun, semi-technical to semi-sick, stacked loop trail system located in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas. Take the trail immidiately to the right after entering the gate which follows a semi-sandy wash for a quarter mile or so then starts to climb. Once on the trail there are no trail markers, but it''s easy to follow the trail and a small enough area that you can''t get lost. Take left turns and you''ll have a smaller loop, right turns for longer loop with more climbing and mix some rights and some lefts for an intemediate loop(s). Several options. The surface is mostly packed dirt or decomposing rock, with frequent rocky sections and rock steps. Some switchbacks, some ledges, and some exposure. Lots of sharp rocks, cactus and sticker bushes to catch you if you fall. Keep climbing towards the radio towers and you''ll end up at an awesome overlook of the Las Vegas valley. From there descend the way you came (with alternate options at every fork)for a less technical but fun return or turn right at the antenna for a couple of more techy descent options. The highlight of which is the Bone shaker which has like 20, 2-4 foot drops linked together in a steep, fun, technical screamfest.
To get to the trailhead, just drive all the way to the end of West Charleston out of Vegas. Stop by Escape Adventures/Las Vegas Cyclery http://www.escapeadventures.com/lasvegas_bike_shop/ on your way out for maps of the trail. West Charleston becomes Hwy 159/Blue Diamond Road as you enter the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. About 3 miles in look for the a parking area on the left side of the road about 1 mile past the turnoff to the visitor center with a big sign announcing "Horseback Rides". Park here.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&addtohistory=&formtype=address&searchtype=address&cat=&address=&city=Las%20Vegas&state=NV&zipcode=&searchtab=home
Summary: These trails are for experienced technical riders or those wanting to take on that challenge. I do not recommend this trail for beginners. A decent level of fitness as well as good bike handling skills are mandatory. The trail consists of loose gravel/sand over hardpack and many rocks/lava stone. I recommend hard tires. The area is full of cactus so bring plenty of tubes and a pump. With all of that being said, these trails are challenging and fun. Ride the sections you can, try some you think you can clean and walk the rest. Each trip will definitely increase your skills. Crashing will be painfull. I rode my Rocky Mountain Slayer with Nevegal 2.35 DTC tires and they were destroyed. Sidewalls were to thin for the lava stone. A great ride for small and intermediate drops. Do not expect a high speed course ride. The ride is more about step ups, drops and steep angles. I will ride it once in awhile for the training but for a good speed workout I will go to the Mustang and Cottonwood trails. Several people wore pads. Probably smart since I crashed three times.
Recommended Route: Go up Bunny. Hit any of the connectors. If you have a big hit bike descend on Bone Shaker 4 and 5 foot drops are common, otherwise return on Bunny. Don't be misled, Bunny is tough but it is the easier of all the trails there.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Mustang Trails - easy to beginner cross country
Cottonwood Valley - interdiate cross country
Bootleg Canyon - intermediate to advanced cross country
intermediate to expert downhill
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Summary: This is a pretty good trail. I have seen tougher, but this has quite a few hairy obstacles. There are plenty of rock gardens, plenty of ledges to launch off of and a few boulders to just climb up and over. Most of the obstacles can be rolled if you are not in to small hucking. Boneshaker is not recommended for those without good suspension and good skills.
Recommended Route: Go to Las Vegas Cyclery and pick a map. They have the right loop picked out for you.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Bootleg Canyon is pretty awesome, but a little far if you live in NW Vegas like me.
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Summary: Keeping right the whole way makes for about an 8 mile ride. The last ~1.5 miles is very technical downhill made by some masochists. The top 1/2 mile of that last part is what I think they're calling Boneshaker. It's very fun but disaster is never far away - lots of pointy rocks.
Recommended Route: From the parking area, stay to your right at all forks for an 8+ mile route. Turn left to finish sooner.
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Summary: This is the kind of riding I like. The route I rode was a steady, steep in places, technical in places, 6 mile climb that took our group about 1.75 hours. We rode it as a quasi out-n-back, taking a slightly different route down. Coming down took about 45 minutes.
Taxing climb. Fun descent. Good mix of technical challenges. Really an enjoyable trail ride.
Recommended Route: Up Bunny, up Fossil Canyon, out to the overlook, then back, going down Cat in the Hat (instead of Fossil Canyon) and Bunny. There's a map posted in the Nevada Forum. I believe the map was obtained from Las Vegas Cyclery.
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