My Favorite Dog Hikes Near Me
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Hiking is truly good for the soul. Even though I don't hike as often as I used to, I still love to get out (away from town if time permits) and just clear my brain. Back when my body was truly hating on me, before my Hashimotos diagnoses, that was what I did every Saturday morning. It was the only time I felt at ease or at all normal. I can't even explain it, I just had to walk in nature. Then, I would sleep from exhaustion.
Thankfully, I'm much better now. Most of the time I hike near town or just walk in the desert, except of course in the summer. In the summer, I just walk near my neighborhood or on occasion head to Mount Charleston to escape the heat.
Please excuse my phone images. They are pretty bad, but I rarely take my camera hiking.
As I was searching my google cloud for images to use, I remembered an old app, Relive. It's an awesome app the creates a satellite type of video of your activity and even integrates the photos taken. I haven't used it in ages, but it's such a cool app, I need to remember to use it. Sidetracked by the Relive app, I went through my (Relive) history to find some of my favorite hikes and I did pretty well, so I've added one here, but since this is a little long, all the others are linked.
This first hike is Fletcher Peak, which to clarify IS NOT one of my favorite hikes. It's a fun hike to do on occasion, but too strenuous for a regular hike. Honestly, I doubt I would ever just say, hey I'm going to hike Fletcher Peak. Uh no. This is a hike I do when I go with my friend Eric, who does not do easy hikes, and I kind of think he might like to torture me a little. But, I'm including it because I liked the Relive video.
For more information and directions to Fletcher Peak, check AllTrails.
The rest of the Relive videos will be linked by the hike instead of embedded.
Easy Walks
My most common hike is really not a hike, it's more of a walk, so I'll start with my favorite easy walks.
Railroad Tunnel Trail
The historic Railroad Tunnel Trail used to be my favorite trail to walk. It's wide, flat, perfect surface, easy on dog pads, with a view of the lake. But it has become very popular and can feel a bit too crowded for me, and I moved to the north side of town, so it's a bit of a drive. Pretty sure if you get there very early, it won't be so crowded. Another reason to get there early is the parking lot fills up, but there is overflow at the visitor center. So don't stress out too much about the parking.
The trail is an out and back. It used to be 5 miles round trip, but a few years ago the gate at the end was opened and the trail was extended. I think it goes to the dam now, but I've never walked the full trail so I don't even know. I will say, this is a nice winter walk when you have out-of-town guests. During the summer, it's full brutal sun except in the tunnels, so go early. Dogs should definitely be on leash for safety reasons and to be respectful of the 15,000 other people who will be sharing this trail with you.
this trail is just before the fee area, so it's free. yay!
Lone Mountain Loop Trail
I may be getting the Lone Mountain Trails confused, I'm really not sure. AllTrails shows this as being 3.2 miles, so I might be missing something because I feel like it's about 2 miles. The loop starts at the bottom of the Lone Mountain Summit Trail or at the back of Lone Mountain Park. It's a heavily trafficked trail, with a nice wide dirt path that circles Lone Mountain. This is definitely an on-leash path because of the heavy foot traffic and also the street right next to a portion of the path.
If you're going to do the loop, you may as well also do Lone Moutain Trail or Lone Mountain Summit. I honestly can't claim to know the difference. I've gone part of the way up a couple of times and all the way up a couple of times. Maybe the trail is part way and the summit is all the way? I can't say.
To go all the way up, it's pretty easy. it's a short trail, a little steep, but nothing crazy. Hiking shoes will help with traction on the hill because of the loose gravel. The trail up is narrow and heavily trafficked. The view at the top is worth the walk. I couldn't find any photos from the summit, but I found a couple of phone photos from the lower part about halfway up.
Sunset Park Trails
I don't live anywhere near Sunset Park but if I did, I would walk the trails all the time. I've only walked the paths a couple of times, so I can't say a ton about the trails, other than a nice short walk, perfect for a work morning or evening. There are plenty of people on the paths, but not so much that it's a deterrent. There are bunnies, coyotes and it's tough to see around the bends to know if someone is coming, so best to keep your dog on leash here.
Floyd Lamb Trails
Okay, so this one is confusing. Alltrails shows Floyd Lamb Trail as the path around the inside of the park. Google maps shows a pin on Racel, but images of Floyd Lamb Park. So to clarify, I'm referring to the paths on Racel at Cimarron (pin linked in the name above).
I love these paths. Like everything else in Vegas, over the last few years, the paths have become a bit more crowded. The paths are used by joggers, walkers, horseback riders, bikers (not motorized), dogs, people, etc. So there is a lot of activity, but there are places to turn off. So if someone is coming with loose dogs or on a horse, it's easy to just turn on an inner path. Of course, that's just my method. When I'm walking my dogs, I'm not chatty, I just want to have a peaceful walk.
There are also shaded areas along the way if you need to get out of the sun. There are trees and bushes, but they haven't grown enough to provide much shade just yet.
If the paths are not too crowded I let my dogs off-leash and leash up when I see someone coming. Since it's flat and the trees and bushes are still young, it makes visibility pretty easy. If the trails are busy, I go past the trails and walk in the desert to allow for off-leash time. Keep in mind there are rabbits and coyotes. I even ended up right in front of a coyote at 3:00 in the afternoon a few months ago, which freaked me out a bit. I expect it in the evenings or early mornings, but not mid-day.
Here's a Relive video you can see easily see the paths in the video and also where I wandered off the paths. Then I realized it was getting late and while rushing back to the car I saw a coyote trotting through the basin area. Eek!
Moderate Trails
3.6 mile loop (actually more of an upper case Q)
This is inside the Lake Mead Fee Area. I can't keep up with the ever-increasing fees, I think it's $25 per visit and $80 for the annual pass.
This is a nice lightly trafficked trail. The beginning and near the water can be a little busy, but the trail itself is pretty empty. It's mostly a flat pleasant walk, but the trail vanishes in some spots. At one point you need to climb over a tunnel and up the side of the hill (photo below). You can see in the video where we lost the trail, then went back and climbed over the tunnel. After that is a nice bike path and this is where it gets complicated. To avoid missing the turn, follow the map on AllTrails. After you turn right, towards the lake, leash up your dog for the next section. You'll end up in a little canyon that seems to be the trail, but we've never figured out how to get out by following the wash. We end up climbing out of the wash and through the desert until we come out to the nice pretty path.
Between the right turn where the trail is indistinguishable and the nice path, you'll go under the main road and if your dog runs up the hill, the street is right there.
Once you get to the nice path you'll hear Las Vegas Creek feeding into the lake. It's a nice little stop to cool of your dog. The current is pretty strong and could probably be a scary situation for a small dog.
Once you pass the creek, there's probably about a mile left to get back to your car. Enjoy!
James Brown Trail
3.6 mile out and back
The trail is just on the edge of town, near Mountains Edge. The trail head is on S. Fort Apache, just north of West Cactus. I'm sure how much longer this will be there or will be accessible due to new home construction all around it.
This is one of my favorite trails. It's easy to get to, and even though there's moderate foot traffic and occasional ATVs, it's easy enough to get around people. There is a bit of climbing, but nothing too brutal and if you want to skip the first steep hill, it's easy to go around using a side trail. Once you get to the top, it's a pretty nice view for a minimal climb.
Here's a Relive video.
Liberty Bell Arch
5.1 mile out and back
Parking sucks. Sorry. not only is this a bit of a drive out of town (just past the dam bridge), but you need to leave early to get a parking spot. It's worth it though!
This trail starts out pretty crowded, but once you turn off the main trail towards the arch, you most likely won't see anyone else. it's a nice walk, and ends with an amazing view of the Colorado River. I know I'm a total freak, and deathly afraid of heights, but please, please, please, leash your dogs before you get to the view.
This trail isn't that difficult, so I recommend following up this trail with the Arizona Hot Springs Trail. I mean really, since it's such a pain to get up early, drive all the way there, park, etc. you may as well do both trails. More on the Arizona Hot Springs Trail comming up next.
Arizona Hot Springs (via White Rock Canyon Trail)
6.6 Mile out and back.
I love this trail! But you'll use the same parking lot as Liberty Bell Arch Trail, so get there early. Once you finish the Liberty Arch trail, instead of heading back to the parking lot, you may as well turn right and do this trail. I've never actually been to the hot springs. I stop just before the hot springs and relax by the lake while my dogs cool off.
If you only have time for one trail, I personally would pick this one over Liberty Bell Arch. it is a bit more crowded and for a while, the path is thick sand and a bit exhausting. But there are no difficult climbs and the lake is perfect for the dogs to cool off before heading back.
Difficult
The above trails are great for cool weather and not so great for summer. Aside from the heat, I don't want to have any rattlesnake encounters. In the summer, I don't do as much hiking because it's not as convenient because I head up to Mount Charleston for cooler rattlesnake free weather.
Raintree Trail
This is pretty much the only trailhead I use at Mount Charleston. It's an out and back and leads up to Raintree, Fletcher Peak (the Relive video above), Mummy Springs, and a few others. The parking lot fills up on the weekends and the initial part of the trail can be pretty busy, but it thins out after a mile or so. the path is nice and easy to walk, but it is a lot of climbing. The bristlecone pine trees are amazing, and of course, the famous 3,000-year-old Raintree. Here's a Relive video of the Raintree Trail and a little bit past it towards Mummy Springs. The photo of the tree with the signs in front of it is the Raintree. Even though it's cooler there than in Vegas, it can still be pretty warm, especially at the bottom near the parking lot. Bring plenty of water and be sure to keep your dog cool.
If you aren't familiar with Bristlecone Pines (the Prometheus Tree), I encourage you to check out this video to learn a little about this amazing tree.
That's it for my favorite hikes near Las Vegas! I hope you enjoyed the videos and decide to try out some of these hikes with your dog or dogs.
Do you have a doggy road trip planned? Awesome, follow the blog circle to learn about all the awesome hikes in other areas, starting with Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, hiking with her dog in the Endless Mountains of Northeastern PA.
10 Comments
May 5, 2023, 10:57:30 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - Awesome! Dog road trips are the best!
May 5, 2023, 4:30:13 PM
Armand Thomas - Planning an outdoorsy road trip w my dog
Aug 12, 2021, 7:11:57 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - YES!!! Definitely!
Aug 8, 2021, 3:40:49 PM
Tracy Allard - Wow, so many great options close to Vegas - who knew? Think I'm going to have to connect with you on my next trip to Sin City :).
Jul 2, 2021, 11:04:00 AM
Nicole Hrustyk - I'm with you Nancy, Arizona Hot Springs hike is my favorite too.
Jul 2, 2021, 7:07:12 AM
Nancy - My favorite looks like it may be the Arizona hot Springs. Nice app.
Jun 26, 2021, 9:53:38 AM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you!
Jun 25, 2021, 11:26:17 AM
Terri Jankelow - That app is amazing. I don’t do much hiking although I really do enjoy it. But that app is something I’m going to download anyway. Love that top image!
Jun 25, 2021, 10:31:31 AM
Nicole Hrustyk - It is such a cool app!
Jun 25, 2021, 9:15:46 AM
Angela Schneider - I just downloaded Relive. I can't wait to go on a hike now. It will probably have to wait until the temperatures drop back down to a reasonable 90 or so. (!) Thanks for introducing me to that. It's going to be fun.