So it's been heating up in Vegas lately...it's been hitting the 90's and almost reaching 100 degrees, so when we had a nice day this past Saturday, a lovely 78 degrees accompanied by a nice breeze, I decided to take advantage and head over to Lake Mead to "hike" one of my favorite trails, the Historic Railroad Trail.
I put the word hike in quotes because it's a really flat trail out and back, unless you decided to veer off the main trail or go the extra mile all the way out to Hoover Dam, which even that is pretty flat, but there is a section of incline/decline and a series of ramps to navigate (kind of like switchbacks) to get down to the dam. The main trail itself is about 2.5 mi one-way or 5 mi roundtrip and if you decide to go all the way to Hoover Dam it's about 3.7 mi one-way or 7.4 mi roundtrip.
If you guys are ever in Vegas, at a time when it's not obnoxiously hot because extreme heat can kill, or you live in Vegas and have never been you should definitely head over to check it out. You can make a day of it and hike all the way over to Hoover Dam, which is beautiful and there are tourist shops and places to eat.
BTW, parking is free and the lot is located right before the entrance into Lake Mead meaning no entrance fees or parking fees. This is a free hike! Just gas up the car and go.
Here's some info from the National Park Service...
I put the word hike in quotes because it's a really flat trail out and back, unless you decided to veer off the main trail or go the extra mile all the way out to Hoover Dam, which even that is pretty flat, but there is a section of incline/decline and a series of ramps to navigate (kind of like switchbacks) to get down to the dam. The main trail itself is about 2.5 mi one-way or 5 mi roundtrip and if you decide to go all the way to Hoover Dam it's about 3.7 mi one-way or 7.4 mi roundtrip.
If you guys are ever in Vegas, at a time when it's not obnoxiously hot because extreme heat can kill, or you live in Vegas and have never been you should definitely head over to check it out. You can make a day of it and hike all the way over to Hoover Dam, which is beautiful and there are tourist shops and places to eat.
BTW, parking is free and the lot is located right before the entrance into Lake Mead meaning no entrance fees or parking fees. This is a free hike! Just gas up the car and go.
Here's some info from the National Park Service...
1931: Lewis Construction Company began construction under Bureau of Reclamation.
1961: Last year railroad in use.
1962: Tracks dismantled and sold for scrap.
1984: Nominated to National Register of Historic Places.
2015: Designated as a National Historic Trail.
Length: 3.7 miles from trailhead to Hoover Dam Parking Garage.
• Only remaining section of Hoover Dam Railroad system that is not highly disturbed or under water.
• All tunnels are approximately 300 ft. in length, and 25 ft in diameter. The tunnels were oversized to fit penstock sections and large equipment being transported to Hoover Dam.
• Nine steam and four gas locomotives and 71 people were used to operate the system. It was a standard-gauge, 90-pound rail construction that used Oregon fir ties.
• This section was used in the motion picture "The Gauntlet" starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke for a sequence in which they were on a motorcycle being chased by an assassin in a helicopter.
References...
1. National Park Service link above
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