McCullough Hills Trail

This is the actual hike I went on today. I accidently checked in for the wrong place. Located at the end of Mission off Horizon Ridge Pkwy, just up the hill from the big shopping center on Horizon/​Horizon Ridge.
This is a popular trail, we saw plenty of hikers and bikers, dog walkers, and even some families out for a hike. You can actually take this trail all the way over to Anthem (8 miles). Not much for views, at least where we walked to (mile marker 2). Its your typical Vegas hike, lots of desert bushes, no wildlife, and not much to look at. I do miss hiking in Oregon.
I did this hike with the Henderson Hikers meetup group. There were about 8 of us and it was good to have some encouragement as I never realize how out of shape I am. Too much binge watching TV I guess, and drinking, and smoking, and just being OLD! lol
My goal for 2016 is to get out and hike as much as possible, 3 – 5 times a week, to get back into shape.

Great trail for beginners or experienced runners! Trails are marked and you can easily see the distance markers along the trail. Great scenery and will definitely go back again!

Fabulous trail. I have known it was nearby but didn’t find it until I ran across it on Unilocal.They’ve done a tremendous job with parks in Paradise Hills. We have just about a little bit of everything now for the kids. I love having this mountain trail so nearby. In the wilderness in the blink of an eye. I was told the view from the ridge was amazing from other hikers. It seems fairly bike-​able. I might bike it. Probably a better start for bikers is after mile marker 1 at the water retention reservoir behind paradise pointe homes, otherwise the first mile will probably wear you out pretty fast. Biggest hills to climb here. My only problem was deciding when it was time to turn around! What a great place to go hide when it’s all just way too much. Desert is pristine and beautiful. Love it!

This trail system is really great for a number of activities.
My husband and I have taken our dogs out here on a number of occasions. First off, it is out of the city, but not so far out if you have to drive miles to get to the trail head. Secondly, you are very quickly into the trails once you start off on any hike/​run/​bike here. I’m not that great at hiking (read: I’m clumsy/​un-​blalanced and I’ve come to accept that fact), however I still do like to get out of the city and explore nature + add a different facet to my exercise routine — so hiking/​walking trails is good!
There tend to be a good number of people out here on the weekends, so don’t think you can come out here to be ALONE with nature or anything. Guaranteed you will see a handful of other outdoors peeps running/​walking/​biking out here.
My husband has gone farther and biked/​ran the trails much further than I have. He uses this trail system to train for a marathon and a triathlon later this year. He has gone out during the middle of the week and has said there are far less people out there then. Makes sense.
Anyway, I highly recommend this trail system for just about anyone — novice, families, people with dogs, even families can do this one with ease, even with younger kids you shouldn’t have much trouble.

My favorite trail in Henderson. Parks are good for a short walk but if you really want to hike & get closer to nature this is the spot. The trail itself stretches 8 miles from Henderson to the anthems. If you stay on the path the terrain is pretty mild. Mountain bike riders usually are polite and warn you if they are approaching or need to get by. You can see a lot of wildlife at dawn & dusk. They have recently added a well lit parking area, bathrooms and shaded area with picnic tables. There’s not much vandalism, a few idiots leave some broken bottles and such but nothing serious. What’s great about this trail is that it’s not very crowded. So if you want some solitude up in the hills check this place out.

When I look southeast across the Las Vegas Valley at the landscape towering over Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson, I see it as a large drive-​in screen where the curtains are Black Mountain and the McCullough Mountain foothills. It is behind this large drive in screen where the movie takes place.
The movie is a Western adventure starring the hiker and Mother Nature. The plot of the movie is the hiker killing stress. Through the experience of a natural high walking with Mother Nature in a Western landscape the hiker leaves spiritually high on life. It is the Anti-​Drama.
Congress and the City of Henderson are the creators of the McCullough Hills Trail Adventure. Going back to 2002, Congress took the initiative to preserve Sloan Canyon for future generations. The Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area was born. The City of Henderson played a vital role with their Sloan Canyon Resources Management Plan. In this plan was formulating the plan for the McCullough Hills Trail. This adventure was released on March 9, 2013; when the City opened the trail to the public.
The eight mile McCullough Hills Trail is the script of the movie. Follow the script, and the hiker will star in an attractive western landscape walking on a comfortable surface. Stage left (looking south the left is really to the east) is from the Mission Hills trailhead. In my opinion the parking is primitive. I extend the hike by parking at Hidden Falls Park, and turning left onto the Amargosa Trail (along the power lines), a short distance to the Mission Drive Trailhead. The best way to describe the trail is that it follows in back of the mountains that parallel Horizon Ridge Parkway from Black Mountain to Eastern Avenue in the Anthem community. The trail gradually gains elevation with soft curves. It reaches 3,120 feet west of Mile Marker 4. In the vicinity of mile marker 4, it levels out. It is an eight mile hike. There are mile posts that include emergency phone numbers. The trail overlaps the northern edge of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. It is never too distant from the power lines, which could be a valuable landmark. The closer it gets to Anthem, overlooks of the Valley appear. The trail eventually ends at McCullough Hills Parkway in Anthem Hills.
The scenery is worthy of Academy Award recognition. It is a couple of miles from the trailhead, that the McCullough mountains envelope the hiker. Looking south the McCullough Mountain range extends into the real state of movie making: California. The open spaces of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area display the underrated beauty of the Mojave Desert. The views of the Las Vegas Valley near Anthem Hills Park are spectacular. Just like a cool Hollywood plot, the trail passes two Black Mountains. At the Mission Hills Drive entrance is the Black Mountain seen from I-​515, at the opposite end is Black Mountain. Like a work of art, the trail artist designed the trail to celebrate the contours of the land.
In this Western Adventure cue cards are unnecessary for a stellar performance. What is necessary are comfortable foot wear, sun tan lotion, a hat, phone, and abundance of drinking water.
The adversaries of the hiking adventures: the vandals have yet to strike. As of this review, the trail is untouched by vandalism. If the bad guy strikes, each mile marker displays the emergency number and location.
What is neat about this adventure is that you can turn it into a double feature. After leaving stage left at the Mission Hills trailhead you can partake in another adventure along Amargosa Trail and Hidden Falls Park. If you leave stage right in Anthem, you could partake in an adventure on the Anthem East Trail which will ultimately lead to Black Mountain Trail. Speaking from experience, this adventure will be enough. I highly suggest partaking in two separate hikes. It took me 3 ½ hours hiking from Mission Drive to Mile Marker 4. There were a couple of breaks and diversions. Still, it took a lot of energy. I recommend hiking Mission Drive to Mile Marker 4 or/​and McCullough Hills Parkway to Mile Marker 4.
If you decide to star in this movie, this is where you get credit for being in it. You can check in to Unilocal at the bench between mile markers 2 and 3. It is a nice shaded spot to take a break.
The Unilocal 100 Challenge. Casting review 74 of 100.