Historic Railroad Trail
This adventure starts off in Las Vegas, NV. I was in town for CES meetings and caught up with my friends Tony C. and Nicole W. Two massive Super73 fans that own several bikes and have shared their love of the brand to many friends & family. Always a great time from Austin to Vegas and everything in between.
A few years back around this time we hosted a group ride at Red Rock Canyon. It is visually stunning and about a 13-mile loop in and out of the national conservation area. A definite must ride when you’re in town but I was looking for more this time. I remember Tony mentioning a railroad trail just east of Henderson that would take you back into history. Sounded too good to pass up so I made time while I was in town.
We headed east to Boulder City to the start of the Pacifica Trail Head. Here is where we parked, unloaded the bikes and started our journey on the River Mountains Loop Trail. This trail is 31 miles hugging Lake Mead looping around the River Mountains making your way back to Boulder City. Something I would like to complete next time but we were headed towards the Historic Railroad Trail that will take us to Hoover Dam.
The trail is nicely paved with some fun elevation changes and switchbacks. Plenty of fun to start the ride with a good group in tow. After a few miles we stopped at the Lake Mead Visitor Center. Another good location for parking with public restrooms and a good view of Lake Mead. Here is where you’ll be getting off pavement and into some dirt and gravel till you hit the Hoover Dam. The ground was a bit loose since it was raining a bit that week but we kept the speeds low. We made our way around the bend getting closer and closer to Lake Mead. It’s a good stretch with some signage giving the history of the network of railroads. This trail is one of three segments and is the only one still in use by hikers, cyclists, etc.
A few miles in, we finally see Tunnel 1. There are five tunnels along this trail approximately 300 feet in length and 25 feet in diameter. The tunnels were oversized to fit penstock sections and large equipment being transported to Hoover Dam. And I just found out that it was used in the movie “The Gauntlet” that starred Clint Eastwood in which there was a motorcycle chase. I had the pleasure of meeting Clint’s son Scott Eastwood a year ago when he visited our HQ. Yep, he’s part of the Super Squad. Back to the tunnels…they are massive. It felt like you were at Disneyland on the Indiana Jones ride with Dr. Jones and Short Round. Short Round was played by actor Ke Huy Quan who also plays Data in one of my favorite movies The Goonies.
After making your way through the five tunnels you enter a section where it’s a bit more narrow. More loose dirt and gravel but the GRZLY’s will hold up nicely. Here is where you’ll get back on some pavement exiting the power grid onto the Hoover Dam access road. We now are making our descend down to the Visitors Center. It was nice to finally get back on the road again but you’ll need to be mindful of traffic. Luckily it was minimal since it was a weekday. There were plenty of tourists taking in the sights that day. A pretty good amount of onlookers checking out our bikes while zipped over the Hoover Dam and crossed over to the Arizona side. We made it to the Hoover Dam Lookout overlooking the Colorado River.
It really didn’t feel too long or short of a ride. Just enough for even the Z1 riders to join. I was on Nicole’s ZX and had plenty of battery to spare when we got back. Of course it started to rain on us and the rain drops felt like little daggers accompanied with strong winds. Not a bad way to end the ride getting into a warm truck and into some dry clothes. A super fun experience that I highly recommend. Below I’ll share some info and details for you to take your friends, family or squad.
As always, have fun and ride safe.
Parking location - Pacifica Trail Head
Trail - Historic Railroad Trail
Route - RidewithGPS
Reference - National Park Service