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Story by Alan Snel Photos/Design by Anna Barantez
Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City and Cottonwood Valley in Red Rock Canyon’s Blue Diamond area soak up a lot of publicity for their mountain bike trails in metro Las Vegas.
But the McCullough Hills trails, with their trailhead at 295 Mission Dr. in Henderson, are a tasty option in Las Vegas’ mountain bike terrain buffet.
I met Anna at the trailhead late Sunday afternoon for a ride on the trails cutting dirt paths through what is officially called the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
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We went out exploring the trails, which were flat at first but then began sloping upward into the hills outside the suburban developments off the Horizon exit just past the 215 beltway. Outside Henderson has a nice summary of the McCullough trails.
Anna rides a heavy electric mountain bike, so she was careful at some of the trail’s tight curves and steep inclines.
Meanwhile, I was pedaling a heavy single-speed Surly Pugsley. With only one speed, some of the steep stretches were a challenge.
We liked the views from some of the higher points along the dirt route. In fact, there are many routes branching off the main trail — so there are lots of opportunities to explore.
Dinner was sushi in Henderson, so Anna offered an amusing bite of sushi humor.
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We followed the trails east for a few miles and then decided to head back via a trail that followed a path back toward the Horizon Ridge neighborhoods where we hooked into local streets for a downhill ride back to the trailhead.
It was the perfect steady-surface setting for Anna to give her “look, no hands” move.
Having places to ride a bicycle on dirt outside of Las Vegas’ spreading suburbs is one of the great benefits of living in a metro market experiencing explosive growth.
Across the Vegas Valley down south by Southern Highlands, for example, mountain bicyclists can also enjoy following single-track dirt trails at the Union and Debris trails.
Anna’s words put it well in her designs: