[Buzz123]

Reminds me of a story in the Las Vegas Review Journal from many years ago. Down around Nelson in El Dorado Canyon it's all dirt roads with gold and silver mines all over the place. There are also lots of rattle snakes. I nearly stepped on one myself. I'd never seen one or heard one until then, but the noise at my foot was unmistakable and I jumped back-wards about ten feet and drew my gun before my feet ht the ground. Don't ask me how I did it. The rest of the story is just ridiculous.

Anyway, according to the RJ, a guy was riding a dirt bike when he crashed and burned and broke his leg. He landed in some cactus which, naturally, was home to a rattle snake. Of course it bit him. He managed to get out his gun to shoot the snake but instead shot himself in the foot. I guess he was having an off day. I don't remember how he managed to get home, but he would have been a long ways from civilization, so I'm guessing he had someone with him. They must still be laughing. The snake probably is too.

[billeethakid]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Reminds me of a story in the Las Vegas Review Journal from many years ago. Down around Nelson in El Dorado Canyon it's all dirt roads with gold and silver mines all over the place. There are also lots of rattle snakes. I nearly stepped on one myself. I'd never seen one or heard one until then, but the noise at my foot was unmistakable and I jumped back-wards about ten feet and drew my gun before my feet ht the ground. Don't ask me how I did it. The rest of the story is just ridiculous.

Anyway, according to the RJ, a guy was riding a dirt bike when he crashed and burned and broke his leg. He landed in some cactus which, naturally, was home to a rattle snake. Of course it bit him. He managed to get out his gun to shoot the snake but instead shot himself in the foot. I guess he was having an off day. I don't remember how he managed to get home, but he would have been a long ways from civilization, so I'm guessing he had someone with him. They must still be laughing. The snake probably is too.

A guy here was teaching a gun saftey course and shot himself in the foot, go figure!

[olecapt]

When I was a young recruit in the army many, many years ago during dry firing at a RIC a cadre cleared a locked=up M1 by stomping on the receiver. Some how it was a live round and went through his hand.

Just things you should not do.

[notn8tive]

Originally Posted by billeethakid

I am an avid rider and I do see quite a few people riding when im there, but who here rides and what do you think about it? Does it get boring riding in a flat desert or do you ever find some twistys? Atving would be great if you could find some dunes but it seems to be rocky? Any areas, roads, trails ect that anyone knows about would help out alot. I'll have a new bike within 3 months if we decide to stay. Riding all year round must be great too. I ride mostly sportbikes but I don't discriminate so hit me up if you wan't to ride!

There are fewer and fewer LEGAL dirt riding areas left in Southern Nevada any more. I didn't say the LV Valley, because it is illegal for one reason or another to ride a dirt bike/atv INSIDE the valley anymore. Dust rules, closed BLM areas, dinosaur bones, distance to a house, etc. have all closed every area inside the valley and quite a few outside the valley but still close. (Sloan Canyon NCA near Henderson).

I accidentally crossed the southern corner of the Sloan Canyon NCA and got a $125 fine for a motor vehicle in a closed area, AND a $525 fine for running the BLM ranger down (THAT is a long story, but I tried to stop before he jumped in front of my dirt bike).

Anyway, there are still many good places to ride but you have to drive to them. Not like the "good old days" of riding from your house to the desert, which of course broke a few traffic laws like insurance, turn signals, etc. But if you were polite and respected your neighbors about noise, speed, etc they usually would just join you.

Try:

1. The dry lake bed of Eldorado Valley on US 95 near Boulder City. The lake bed is great for speed trials and beginners and the hills above it offer several good trails from easy to mountain goat. Quad and bike trails

2. Just a little farther down US 95 is the turn off to Nelson. Go about 3 miles up that road and turn right on a major power line road. About a mile in is a wide open parking area and you can go south and east on over at least a hundred different trails. West and North are closed due to restrictions, but south and east are listed on BLM maps as designated riding areas. Great trails, loops of 30+ miles up washes, over mountains, etc. Mostly bike trails, not so many quads.

3. Nellis Dunes at LV Blvd and I-15 has some sand dunes and also at least a hundred trails, along with some motocross type tracks people have built. It can be very, very crowded on weekends. I don't like that many people riding in one area, gets crazy. Bikes and quads.

4. Going down south on I-15 there is the dry lake bed near Jean. This is a BLM approved area too. Haven't ridden it since I have so many other good choices closer to me.

5. I-15 south at Primm (Stateline) on the Calif. border has a dry lake with trails in the mountains on the east side. Also BLM legal, they hold races between Jean and Primm so some of the trails are rough. It is so far out it is never crowed. Bikes and quads.

6. Logandale has a State Park for ohv's called Logandale Trails. Pretty nice scenery (the back side of Valley of Fire is nearby), toilets, some picnic tables, can camp overnight. At 60-70 miles north it is an all day trip or overnight. Some sand, and rocky trails. Bikes & quads.

7. Also just before Logandale is a reservoir for farming that you can camp at. There are a ton of sandy trails with nice jumps, and sandy washes. Better for quads but I had my dirt bike there all day and loved it.

8. Also out of town is Cold Creek/Wheeler Pass. It's about 80 miles from town but in the less developed lower elevations of the Spring Mountains so it is cooler in the summer. Definitely snow country in the winter, but summer temps in the 80's/90's during the day, vs 105+ in Vegas. Nights get down to 50's/60's so early morning/day riding is awesome. Terrain is high desert up to mountain forest. All trails must be Forest Service approved or you get fined. Also there are summer cabins and full time residents in Cold Creek that you must respect. Also be respectful of the wild horses, burros, elk, sheep, etc you may come across. The creeks have been fenced off to prevent idiots from destroying them. The Vegas side has more rocks and less trees, but it has the water. The road is paved for the first 20 miles but there aren't many nice camping areas left open on this side. But over Wheeler Pass on the Pahrump side of the mountain is the opposite. It is 20 miles of good dirt road that leads to some great camping areas in the trees. There is very little water here and what is there should be respected for wildlife use--it is illegal to camp near springs/creeks. There are some great Forest Service approved trails/roads that wind through the trees and have very few rocks. Closer to the highway, before the treeline are high desert trails for dirt bikes that are great.

In any area, make sure you know the rules and boundaries. I met a very nice Forest Service Ranger in Cold Creek and a not so nice BLM ranger south of Henderson. In any area you are required to have a USFS approved spark arrestor. Even in the desert. You will get a $125 fine if you don't, I know someone who did. Most race pipes do not have the spark arrestor.

Check out these areas and you should find one to your liking, and also check out not too far Dumont Dunes and Coral Pink, or even Glamis farther south.

Maybe I'll see you out there. Enjoy.

[notn8tive]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

A lot of people from around here go down to Yuma too. ISDRA Sand Dune Guide

Or the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in southern Utah. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, UT (DesertUSA)

Today I did a little scouting and found an excellent spot off the northernmost end of Durango Blvd at Moccasin Way. It looks like you could ride there without bothering anyone or being bothered. Be a great place to ride mountain bikes too. Is it still ok to ride around the south end of Sunrise Mountain near the Henderson Swamp?

Watch out for BLM or other police, including Clark County Health District, who enforce dust laws. It's illegal anywhere inside the LV Valley to raise dust without a permit. This could include dirt roads, but definitely includes dirt bikes. I had a friend who was in the hils south of Henderson, which was technically outside the Valley proper, who was still cited by the CCHD for dust laws. You'd be surprised how far the "no dust" area reaches. It was all forced on us by the EPA pollution standards. I doubt your area off Durango is legal anymore. North Jones Blvd used to have nice areas too, but no more. The swamp near Henderson is no longer legal. Dust laws, housing, and the Wetlands Park have all closed that area. Above the swamp by the sewer treatment plants is now very restricted too. You can drive on "approved roads" but they frown on ohv's if they aren't outright banned. I used to ride that area a lot, all the way to North Shore road in Lake Mead and what is now Lake Las Vegas. Another area that is closed is by the new water plant in Henderson, or where the "B" is on the mountain a little way from Basic High. Dust rules have closed that area.

I posted another response with legal areas that were given to me by the BLM, Forest Service, or the County. They are great areas, but you have to drive to get to them. Still not as bad as California, but they're trying.

Ride safe.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by notn8tive

There are fewer and fewer LEGAL dirt riding areas left in Southern Nevada any more. I didn't say the LV Valley, because it is illegal for one reason or another to ride a dirt bike/atv INSIDE the valley anymore. Dust rules, closed BLM areas, dinosaur bones, distance to a house, etc. have all closed every area inside the valley and quite a few outside the valley but still close. (Sloan Canyon NCA near Henderson).

I accidentally crossed the southern corner of the Sloan Canyon NCA and got a $125 fine for a motor vehicle in a closed area, AND a $525 fine for running the BLM ranger down (THAT is a long story, but I tried to stop before he jumped in front of my dirt bike).

Anyway, there are still many good places to ride but you have to drive to them. Not like the "good old days" of riding from your house to the desert, which of course broke a few traffic laws like insurance, turn signals, etc. But if you were polite and respected your neighbors about noise, speed, etc they usually would just join you.

Try:

1. The dry lake bed of Eldorado Valley on US 95 near Boulder City. The lake bed is great for speed trials and beginners and the hills above it offer several good trails from easy to mountain goat. Quad and bike trails

2. Just a little farther down US 95 is the turn off to Nelson. Go about 3 miles up that road and turn right on a major power line road. About a mile in is a wide open parking area and you can go south and east on over at least a hundred different trails. West and North are closed due to restrictions, but south and east are listed on BLM maps as designated riding areas. Great trails, loops of 30+ miles up washes, over mountains, etc. Mostly bike trails, not so many quads.

3. Nellis Dunes at LV Blvd and I-15 has some sand dunes and also at least a hundred trails, along with some motocross type tracks people have built. It can be very, very crowded on weekends. I don't like that many people riding in one area, gets crazy. Bikes and quads.

4. Going down south on I-15 there is the dry lake bed near Jean. This is a BLM approved area too. Haven't ridden it since I have so many other good choices closer to me.

5. I-15 south at Primm (Stateline) on the Calif. border has a dry lake with trails in the mountains on the east side. Also BLM legal, they hold races between Jean and Primm so some of the trails are rough. It is so far out it is never crowed. Bikes and quads.

6. Logandale has a State Park for ohv's called Logandale Trails. Pretty nice scenery (the back side of Valley of Fire is nearby), toilets, some picnic tables, can camp overnight. At 60-70 miles north it is an all day trip or overnight. Some sand, and rocky trails. Bikes & quads.

7. Also just before Logandale is a reservoir for farming that you can camp at. There are a ton of sandy trails with nice jumps, and sandy washes. Better for quads but I had my dirt bike there all day and loved it.

8. Also out of town is Cold Creek/Wheeler Pass. It's about 80 miles from town but in the less developed lower elevations of the Spring Mountains so it is cooler in the summer. Definitely snow country in the winter, but summer temps in the 80's/90's during the day, vs 105+ in Vegas. Nights get down to 50's/60's so early morning/day riding is awesome. Terrain is high desert up to mountain forest. All trails must be Forest Service approved or you get fined. Also there are summer cabins and full time residents in Cold Creek that you must respect. Also be respectful of the wild horses, burros, elk, sheep, etc you may come across. The creeks have been fenced off to prevent idiots from destroying them. The Vegas side has more rocks and less trees, but it has the water. The road is paved for the first 20 miles but there aren't many nice camping areas left open on this side. But over Wheeler Pass on the Pahrump side of the mountain is the opposite. It is 20 miles of good dirt road that leads to some great camping areas in the trees. There is very little water here and what is there should be respected for wildlife use--it is illegal to camp near springs/creeks. There are some great Forest Service approved trails/roads that wind through the trees and have very few rocks. Closer to the highway, before the tree line are high desert trails for dirt bikes that are great.

In any area, make sure you know the rules and boundaries. I met a very nice Forest Service Ranger in Cold Creek and a not so nice BLM ranger south of Henderson. In any area you are required to have a USFS approved spark arrestor. Even in the desert. You will get a $125 fine if you don't, I know someone who did. Most race pipes do not have the spark arrestor.

Check out these areas and you should find one to your liking, and also check out not too far Dumont Dunes and Coral Pink, or even Glamis farther south.

Maybe I'll see you out there. Enjoy.

Great post. You sound like you're an old timer in So. NV too. It's nice that you respect the environment. What about the Harris Springs trail head area off Kyle Canyon Rd? Also, do you ever approach Wheeler Pass from the Pahrump side and ride over to Cold Creek/Deer Creek from that direction? Can a Jeep still make it over the pass? At one time the Forest Service wasn't keeping the road up on purpose.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by notn8tive

Watch out for BLM or other police, including Clark County Health District, who enforce dust laws. It's illegal anywhere inside the LV Valley to raise dust without a permit. This could include dirt roads, but definitely includes dirt bikes. I had a friend who was in the hils south of Henderson, which was technically outside the Valley proper, who was still cited by the CCHD for dust laws. You'd be surprised how far the "no dust" area reaches. It was all forced on us by the EPA pollution standards. I doubt your area off Durango is legal anymore. North Jones Blvd used to have nice areas too, but no more. The swamp near Henderson is no longer legal. Dust laws, housing, and the Wetlands Park have all closed that area. Above the swamp by the sewer treatment plants is now very restricted too. You can drive on "approved roads" but they frown on ohv's if they aren't outright banned. I used to ride that area a lot, all the way to North Shore road in Lake Mead and what is now Lake Las Vegas. Another area that is closed is by the new water plant in Henderson, or where the "B" is on the mountain a little way from Basic High. Dust rules have closed that area.

I posted another response with legal areas that were given to me by the BLM, Forest Service, or the County. They are great areas, but you have to drive to get to them. Still not as bad as California, but they're trying.

Ride safe.

We can thank Californication for all this "progress". It used to be a lot more fun to live here. I used to ride my Jeep in the sand dunes off Twain between Swenson and Maryland Pkwy and Twain and Flamingo; also, where Hughes Center is now. We hunted in the Henderson swamp.

My favorite Las Vegas good old days story is about the time I drove a showgirl from the Trop way out into the desert just before sunup so she could ride her horse. She boarded it on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere...that was at Patrick Lane and Sandhill. The exciting part was that the year before she had been Playmate of the Year in Playboy Mag.

[billeethakid]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

We can thank Californication for all this "progress". It used to be a lot more fun to live here. I used to ride my Jeep in the sand dunes off Twain between Swenson and Maryland Pkwy and Twain and Flamingo; also, where Hughes Center is now. We hunted in the Henderson swamp.

My favorite Las Vegas good old days story is about the time I drove a showgirl from the Trop way out into the desert just before sunup so she could ride her horse. She boarded it on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere...that was at Patrick Lane and Sandhill. The exciting part was that the year before she had been Playmate of the Year in Playboy Mag.

Priceless...

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

We can thank Californication for all this "progress". It used to be a lot more fun to live here. I used to ride my Jeep in the sand dunes off Twain between Swenson and Maryland Pkwy and Twain and Flamingo; also, where Hughes Center is now. We hunted in the Henderson swamp.

My favorite Las Vegas good old days story is about the time I drove a showgirl from the Trop way out into the desert just before sunup so she could ride her horse. She boarded it on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere...that was at Patrick Lane and Sandhill. The exciting part was that the year before she had been Playmate of the Year in Playboy Mag.

Did she let you rub the flanks at least?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Did she let you rub the flanks at least?

No, and I didn't get to feed a carrot either.

For those who don't know, the area of Sand Hill and Patrick Lane is practically the center of the metro area now, but it used to be that if you broke down or ran out of gas out there (as I did once) you were really stuck out in the desert alone unless someone came by on a horse.