Railroad Tunnel Trail to Hoover Dam Run Review - Running Las Vegas
While in Las Vegas for some continuing education, I needed to get two
runs in as a part of my training plan from Run Faster from 5k to
Marathon. My first run took me to the west side of Las Vegas to Red
Rock Canyon. I stayed on the main 13 mile paid loop for the 8 mile out
and back run and learned quickly that I was not doing enough hill work
back in Des Moines. The run was shortly before sunset and was beautiful
and very challenging. The first four miles were almost entirely
uphill. The return down was a different type of stress as I tried to
coast down without letting my body pound much.
By Sunday, I'd researched other best runs around Las Vegas and decided I
should head to the visitor center west of the Hoover Dam. I hoped to
run the Railroad Tunnels Trail but was concerned that it might be too
rough to do an intense run on. In that case I figured I could just hop
on the paved River Mountains Loop Trail and run up the west shore of
Lake Mead. However, the Tunnel Trail was finely crushed gravel with
just scattered golf ball sized rocks so was fine for my run. Different
online reviews of the trail gave different lengths. I needed 10 miles
total. I took off and enjoyed the flat trail and great scenery. Check
the linked Runkeeper log to see pictures along the trail. Ultimately, I
made it across the Dam and enjoyed seeing the huge new bridge down
river. I wound my way up the road to the east of the dam and was
thrilled to find that I hit 5 miles right at the end of the road. It's
more satisfying when runs have a sense of completion. The run back
called for moderate intensity during the last 30 minutes and I enjoyed a
tailwind that made it more rewarding to crank up the intensity.
I highly recommend a run on the Railroad Tunnels Trail and Hoover Dam on your next visit to Las Vegas!
Compass Chiropractic
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