Historic Railroad Trail
Historic Railroad Trail
4.5
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Areas of this trail were used in the movie "The Gauntlet."
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4.5
201 reviews
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48
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9
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northernk
Phoenix, AZ13,310 contributions
Nov 2021
So i started the trail from the Hoover Dam Lodge where i stayed. The trail down and up from the Railroad trail is a bit steep but once you traverse this short piece of trail real estate the rest of your journey is reasonably flat and once at the Hoover Dam you can choose stairs or an elevator down to the dam level and come out at the gift shop snack area below the Dam parking lot. The trail itself is wonderful the five tunnels are fascinating and make anyone's pictures look good lol I did not see any bats on this day nor thankfully rattlesnakes as other reviewers have mentioned but then temperatures had gotten a bit cooler by early November as well so maybe less reason for them to be hanging out in the tunnels during the day. In any case the tunnels make the first part (which will also be your last part) of the round trip go fast. The trail from where the Dam area technically begins is not part of the railroad trail and has a couple options at one point one of which claims to be a "shortcut" but is really not much difference in time to walk. Also keep an eye out for the offshoot to walk over to and up on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge.... super windy up there as it was in morning on other parts of the trail so make sure you got a hat that stays on or don't wear it lol But the bridge walk has some cool views as well. Overall a great walk i think was at least 10 miles overall but not bad.
Written 18 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin S
Cranford, NJ1,691 contributions
Feb 2021
This 8 mile trail is a moderate to easy one. It has excellent scenery overall and a constant view of Lake Mead.
You can complete the hike in 3+ hours; with pictures and conversations with your group, can take up to 4 hours.
Totally enjoyed the time here. Also it’s a short drive to Boulder City so you can treat yourself to a meal afterwards at any one of the many restaurants.
You can complete the hike in 3+ hours; with pictures and conversations with your group, can take up to 4 hours.
Totally enjoyed the time here. Also it’s a short drive to Boulder City so you can treat yourself to a meal afterwards at any one of the many restaurants.
Written 16 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rum connoisseur 76’
Honolulu, HI686 contributions
Dec 2021 • Solo
Historical railroad trail let’s you get away from the hustle of Vegas and offers a great trek to hike, bike or walk with amazing views and landscapes. The hike is super easy, more of a walking path opposed to a hiking trail but offers a good distance with plenty of historical markers, observation areas and benches to stop at and take in all the natural beauty of Lake Mead! This is definitely family friendly and a great spot to bike. Highly recommend it for a short day trip, running path or just an excuse to get off “the strip” for a bit. Lots of photo opportunities as well. Very close to Hoover Dam!
Written 29 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tara
USA6 contributions
Nov 2019
We went in the late fall and the weather varied between perfect and very cool (in the shadier parts). It's interesting to see the old railroad tunnels but there aren't any tracks left. If you keep hiking you can go all the way to Hoover Dam, which we did. Great views of Lake Mead and plenty of benches to sit and relax along the way.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James W
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Family
My oldest granddaughter & I love to hike with our pups; this trail is more of a long walk than a hike, but is well worth it. The trail is very well maintained and, leaving from the Lake Mead trailhead, is only a slight incline. As usual, we took our husky's and noticed several other people brought theirs as well. This is a very popular trail and we crossed paths with many people, ranging from young families with children in strollers to elderly couples to people jogging and on bikes. The views and tunnels are amazing and there is a small rest area after the 5th tunnel where we stopped and had a nice picnic lunch.
Written 14 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patt T
2 contributions
Jan 2023
It ends/begins on the top floor of the parking garage at the Hoover Dam. There was hardly any signage so we pretty much found it by accident and only because we knew it was there somewhere and were looking for it! the signs along the trails were very worn and not legible in places. It's a shame that it isn't maintained. Bikes aren't allowed in so if people rode over, there should be a safe place for them to leave bikes inside so they could tour the dam. We walked out from the dam and was hoping to see some of the tunnels and views but ran out of time. A trail map with distances would be helpful. I was glad I got to see some of it but there wasn't enough information on this end to explain what we were walking on.
Written 18 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas Sims
Las Vegas, NV372 contributions
Oct 2020 • Friends
We did this walk at sunset. I enjoyed this much better than a late morning/early afternoon walk. The sunset colors looked great with Lake Mead in the background. Bring a flashlight if you go at sunset as well as it gets dark in the 5 tunnels. Plus, you can use it to see bats. We saw a couple flying around. Most were out feeding. The trail is pretty smooth. It’s an in-and-out trail. We parked at the Hoover Dam Lodge as there is a trailhead there. They have clean restrooms and places to eat after your walk. It’s a huge parking lot.
Written 1 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cludasdulac
Torquay, UK103 contributions
Nov 2022
This really is a lovely walk, we always walk to the Hoover Dam have lunch and walk back. Great views of Lake Mead, we were lucky to see the Mountain goats on a stroll. Would recommend if you like walking.
Written 5 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert2014
Caldwell, NJ256 contributions
Feb 2020
We "hiked" this trail. Not much of a hike in terms of effort. No real elevation gain, and the trail for the most part was just a smooth gravel path. It was 3.7 miles each way from the trailhead, which is a parking lot near the Alan Bible National Park Visitor Center. The trail ends at the Hoover Dam. Round trip was about 4 hours, including about a 1/2 hour stop at the Dam. Very relaxing.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharon K
Las Vegas, NV111 contributions
Oct 2022
I used to hike back in here a long time ago when it wasn't open to the public and we'd have to hide from the ranger! But now that it is public I go quite often. It is scenic and historic. It is not strenuous and I an take the kids or elderly folk here. The tunnels are interesting and quite unique to this area.
Written 16 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Want to ride the river mountain loop on a road bike, but also visit hoover dam via historic railroad trail. Is it possible to take a road bike, or is a gravel bike necessary for the railroad trail?
Written 12 August 2024
Looking for place to hike with an extended family ranging in ages 16 months to 56 y/o. Will be in Vegas later half of July. I'm concerned about the heat....
Written 4 March 2019
This trail was great and easy. The Tunnels were interesting and the view of Lake Mead along part of it was nice. I will say were walked it in Aug and it was 100 degrees. Although it wasn’t really too bad going. The only shade is the tunnels themselves which are only about 100 feet or so long. After the first couple its pretty much the same so you really don’t need to walk the whole thing, although we did walk all the way to Hoover Dam and back. IF you only walk part of it up until the 2nd or 3rd tunnel it would only be about 3 miles round trip. Just a little up hill in the beginning but nothing strenuous. If you go all the way to Hoover Dam there are a few more strenuous areas coming back. Don’t count on an Uber or Lyft at HD. It was our intention to take one back to the car. None responded to us so after 1/2 hour cool off we hiked back. Bring water where ever you go. Use Sunscreen too.
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park over in Red Rock has some great areas as well. We took a moonlight hike let by guide there. It was great. Look on the State Park link itself for info. Red Rock area itself has some great areas to hike.
Check out Mount Charleston as well. It’s a nice drive with some stop offs as well. Pretty areas when you get out of LV city area itself.
The Valley of Fire is awesome and lots of places that all ages can enjoy. It’s just north of LV about an hour. None of the hikes/walks are overly long. Most are easy to moderate. I’m 58 and had no issues with any of the things I’ve suggestion. My son and GF went to Valley of Fire this past year and LOVED it. They are 28. Cool Petroglyphs, along with the beautiful red waves, some walks are on sand. Lots of areas the kids can climb up on if they choose, especially for photos. Big rocks and stuff. Get a map when you enter. It will give you info on all stopping point and info about each. I think it was $10 to enter at the gate and get the free map there. It has some beautiful scenery and its a great day out.
If you can Look back in my reviews you can see photos and probably more info. The things I mention we did in Aug. of 2018.
Reviews not organized like they used to be since TA updated their site.
Have a great trip. IF you’ve never been to the Grand Canyon the drive there isn’t bad. A few hours. Hoover Dam is great along with a boat ride down the Colorado. We’ve done those too in the past. I’m not the biggest fan of the casinos, so every time we’ve been there we see things outside of LV when there for a show.
Written 15 March 2019
Is there a fee to get into the Historic Railroad Trail?
Written 25 June 2018
No it’s free. There is a small car park at the entrance which is also free.
As others have suggested, try to go earlier in the day as gets very hot.
Written 26 June 2018
W'd like to walk the trail early April 2019. What temperature to expect? How long should leisurely hike take from trailhead to Hoover Dam? If we wish to access Hoover Dam, will there be issues carrying backpacks, water, etc.?
Written 6 June 2018
I agree with TravelinLady- the weather is unpredictable that time of year so be prepared for a variety of conditions. We walked most of the trail and it is not very difficult or strenuous so you should be able to make good time, but you will want to take photos. Visitors are required to go through security screening. The website says small backpacks are permitted.
Written 8 June 2018
Yes! You can rent bikes at All Mountain Cyclery in Boulder City. I believe that they even provide pick up or drop off at the visitors centre which is close to the start of the trail. Definitely contact them to ask. Have fun!
Written 3 April 2018
Are there any tours that will take you through the tunnels? I have difficulty walking Thank you.
Written 22 July 2017
I did not see any tour groups walking the trail. I never saw any advertised either. Bicycling would be fine, but there is no place close to rent bikes, except probably in a nearby city. There is free parking at the beginning of the trail. It is just below the visitors center on the road going to the Hoover Dam.
Written 31 March 2018
A Tripadvisor member
Hi just wondering if there is free parking near by?
Written 4 June 2017
Yes there is free parking available at the Park information center and also at Hoover Dam.
Written 5 June 2017
how far of a walk is it to the first few tunnels?
Written 3 February 2016
For a casual hike with intensely beautiful views of Lake Mead, this ranks as one of the best.
Go to the National Park page on the Railroad Tunnel Trail (google search).
Good luck and take plenty of water and a snack, as it is a "Round Trip" from whichever end you start, unless you have a car parked at each end.
If you start at the Lake Mead side early enough, you can end up at the Hoover Dam and tour it before heading back. That would make quite a day, then end it up by driving to the new bypass bridge (Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge)
Good luck and have fun. These are three winners and will provide a full day of exercise and spectacular views and lasting memories of the West.
Written 4 February 2016
Karen G
Kaycee, Wyoming
we will be staying on the strip. How far away is this from there?
Written 9 May 2015
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