Railroad Pass Loop

High above US 95 the Railroad Pass advertises $ 4.99 burgers, $ 1 draft beers, rib eye specials, and etcetera. What it fails to advertise is a the scenic hiking trail a few feet from the upper parking lot that guarantees a few hours of hiking fun. Norm. K brought the Railroad Pass Loop to my attention in his informative review. In February, I would partake in the Railroad Pass Loop hike two times. The first time I did it counter clockwise then the second clockwise.
I will lead the review with a perspective description of the hike. If you’ve driven on US ⁹³⁄₉₅ from the College Drive interchange in Henderson with the view of the River Mountains in the distance to the US 95/​Cascata Golf Course exit with the golf course and River Mountains to the left; you are acquainted with the scenery of the hike. To make this review easier to read it is separated by segments on the counter clockwise hike.
The Trailhead
This round trip hike that is approximately 5 miles up and down hilly topography starts and ends at the River Mountains Loop Trail Mile Marker 0 immediately off the Railroad Pass upper parking lot. The most difficult part of the hike is getting on the hike. Thanks to Norm K’s direction to turn left onto the unpaved trail 20 feet after getting on the River Mountains Loop Trail, I found the trail. I would like to add that if you pass a pipe that says «13» or the power lines that you missed the turn.
The Trailhead to Cascata overlook
The unmarked trail crosses the train tracks before shooting uphill. Hiking boots are strongly recommended. Now the trail is parallel to one of the River Mountains, that will be the center of the scenery the majority of the way. Below is a panorama of the Railroad Pass Casino and the transformation of desert to Interstate 11. Hammering and construction equipment is the soundtrack to this part of the hike. As the trail progresses bird songs replace the construction of the Interstate. After a sinuous segment the trail goes inland leaving civilization. It momentarily returns to ground level before a few switchbacks carry it up to higher topography.
Cascata Golf Course Overlook segment:
The Cascata Overlook is photography candy. It’s funny that people are paying magnificent sums of money to golf in an exclusive luxury golf course and up above them people are literally looking down on them from a hiking trail. This long segment of the hike overlooks the breathtaking scenery of a golf course where the greens are cut between valleys, a stream travels under the country club, and a man made waterfall flows down a mountain. This is also the strenuous part of the hike. There is a challenging segment at the edge of a limestone colored ridge that I call a hiking tight rope. It is a very narrow part of the trail at the edge of a ridge with a perpendicular incline of loose gravel where a mistake could cause the hiker to fall down the back of the waterfall. Adding to the danger is the possibility of a careening dirt bike rider. The Railroad Pass Loop is a serious of dirt bike trails. This segment is the Sh*t. Regardless the scenery is so mesmerizing that the fresh air ought to out power the adrenaline. Near the hiking tightrope, I saw a spring flower bloom leading up to what looked like a dinosaur rock on top.
The saddle view:
At the high point of the trail there is a picture postcard view of the Las Vegas valley centered by the Las Vegas Strip with the Mojave Desert spread below. When you turn around their is a view of Cascata Golf Course with the desert reaching towards Searchlight.
Bootleg Canyon to Railroad Pass:
The trail heads downhill to the left. The mountain is on the left. There is a junction with an advanced trail that will meet up with the trail near the power lines. With each step the Las Vegas valley gets larger until you reach the super power lines at the easternmost preipherery of an undeveloped part of Henderson. Here is a tip: The super power lines will now be on the right. Now the trail heads south at a lower elevation as it gently follows the topography. Henderson is to the right and the River Mountains to the left. There is a junction where a left turn extends the hike into to a tranquil canyon.
Railroad Pass ridge:
The final segment travels through the Railroad Pass area. Now the trail heads more southeast and passes under powerlines (not the super powerlines). It picks up elevation as it gets nearer to US 93/​95/​Future I-​11. The sights and sounds of progress building the Interstate return. On the way, there are caves that strongly give me the impression that provides shelter homeless people. Past the caves is a casino and hotel called the Railroad Pass. The views of the Railroad Pass are first-​rate. Additionally the views of the Railroad Pass are the final impressions of the hike before making a right to head downhill to the upper parking lot.
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I’ve hiked this mountain bike trail twice in the last few weeks and it’s a great hike with some challenging terrain. It is a 4.6 mile loop around the ridges behind the Railroad Pass Casino. You access this trail from the rear of the parking area at the Railroad Pass Casino just before Boulder City. At that rear parking area, you’ll see a kiosk which has some interesting history of the area and the entrance to the River Mountain Loop Trail is there.
Walk up to the paved trail and start heading for Boulder City. In about 20 feet, you’ll notice a foot path going off to your left. Leave the bike/​walking trail there and head toward the ridge. You’ll soon cross the railroad tracks. Keep following this use trail and you soon arrive at the mountain bike trail. From there, the route is obvious for the first half of the hike.
The hike follows the mountain bike trail as it loops around several ridges. After one of the ridges, after you make the turn east, you’ll start to see the Cascata Golf Course owned by Caesars Entertainment. There a fence separating the bike trail from the private property. As you continue on the hike, you’ll soon get a view of the driving range practice area and then you’ll see the man made waterfall that was put in when MGM originally built the course. There are some areas of rough basalt rock and areas where the bikers have put some large boulders to fill in some of the washed out areas. There are some great views of the Eldorado Dry Lake bed area and you can see the solar power plants along US 95 heading toward Searchlight.
About halfway into the hike, you come to a saddle. This is the highest point on the hike and you have a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Valley. You can see Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains on the west side. This is a good place to take a break and have a snack. From here, it’s basically all downhill. There are several trails here but if you follow the main trail and stay to your left when you come to a fork, you’ll end up rounding the east side of the last ridge and the Railroad Pass Casino will come into sight. After the last turn behind the casino, walk down to the bike path, cross the railroad tracks again, and then follow and old road into the upper parking area where you left your car.
Notes: This hike can be done with sneakers but it’s always best to wear hiking boots on this kind of terrain for extra safety. Some of the scree in the down part is a bit slippery and boots serve you well. As with all hiking, take plenty of water with you. In my photos, I have included a route track on Google Earth from my GPS track. If you want the track for your GPS unit, send me a message!
This is a fun hike with some great views. Happy hiking!