Mountain Biking in Las Vegas: Your Guide to Sin City Singletrack
When most people think of Las Vegas, they picture glitz, glamour, slot machines, and over-the-top shows. And sure, that’s all part of the package. But for me, the real draw to Sin City is the surprisingly good mountain biking.
Every time I ride here, I seem to find new trails and more locals out enjoying them. Sure, it might not have the red rock drama of Sedona or the world-class reputation of Moab, but the variety of trails and unique desert landscape around Las Vegas make it well worth a visit.
I’ve ridden here a handful of times now, and in this post, I’m sharing my top tips for making the most of your trip from the best trails to ride to route recommendations. Consider this your ultimate guide to mountain biking in Las Vegas!
Highlights of Las Vegas mountain biking
Las Vegas Mountain Biking Map
Most of the mountain bike trails in Las Vegas are clustered around the south and west sides of the city. The big green area on the map is Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, home to some of the most popular trail networks like Cowboy Trails and Cottonwood Valley.
On the opposite side of town (technically in Boulder City) you’ll find Bootleg Canyon, known for its rowdy, rocky descents and some of the most challenging riding in the region.
⚡️ Heads up on e-bikes: Electric bikes are allowed on most trails in Las Vegas with a few exceptions. They’re not allowed on Ebb n’ Flow trail (per request of the trail builder) and they are not allowed on trails within the Red Rock Canyon NCA (the green area on the map below), so Da Burbs, Cowboy Trails, and Blue Diamond. Please respect the rules.
4-Day Las Vegas Mountain Biking Itinerary
Looking for the best trails and route recommendations for mountain biking in Vegas? Download my 4-day itinerary packed with tips, links, and local secrets including the best trails to ride and route recommendations. Grab it now and start planning your trip to Sin City!
Plan your rides!
1. Start at Bears Best
Bear’s Best Update 2026: A recent friend sent me this text after spending a few days riding in Vegas “Bears Best is trashed. Between storm damage and construction, it’s no longer a quality riding experience. So much of the network is rutted and blown out and the trail tread is destroyed. Still some OK areas, but really not worth it anymore.”
Bear’s Best is one of the largest and most popular mountain bike trail networks in Las Vegas. It’s located on the west side of the city and the trails mostly consist of mellower cross-country singletrack, but you can find a bit of minor tech in there if you want.
When I visit Las Vegas to ride, Bear’s Best is usually my first stop because it’s a great warm up to Las Vegas mountain biking. It’s also a great place to take the kids or newer riders.
One thing to know about riding at Bear’s Best, though, is that the trails are a big bowl of spaghetti. They are not marked with signs and it’s really easy to get confused (although it’s hard to get lost because you can see across the desert for miles). I highly recommend having TrailForks downloaded to your phone.
2. Next up: Cottonwood Valley (aka Blue Diamond)
Cottonwood Valley (on TrailForks) or Blue Diamond (known by the locals) is a step up from Bear’s Best. There’s a lot of riding around here, too, but it includes a bit more tech and rocky Las Vegas riding. One of the most popular trails here is Landmine Loop, which is a great intermediate ride. There’s also Three Mile Smile, a classic Vega’s descent that requires a bit of a climb (or you can set up a shuttle).
Newer to this area are two of my favorite trails: Flow Job and EBB n’ Flow. They link Blue Diamond to Cowboy Trails (more on those below), but I included them here because they’re most often accessed from the Blue Diamond side. These two trails – in my opinion – are not to be missed!
3. One of my favorites: Southwest Ridge
Southwest Ridge is one of my favorite places to ride in Las Vegas. It sees less traffic than Bear’s Best and Blue Diamond and has a bit more variety, including some fun rocky tech! I will admit, though, that the climb up to the top of the ridge is a bit of a grunt. It’s not too bad if you take Good Call. But I promise the descents down Menny Thanks and Bipolar are a worth it!
4. Don’t miss the Cowboy Trails
If you’re looking to get rowdy, head over to the Cowboy Trails. This area has some of the most technical riding in Las Vegas (aside from Bootleg Canyon, which is technically in Boulder City). The trail to do is Bone Shaker, which is a super fun DH line with a lot of drops, cool rock features, and a steep, loose chute at the end.
I’ve also heard from some friends that the Brohemian Rhapsody Trail is really fun. I haven’t ridden it, but they raved about it so it’s definitely on my radar. It sounds like there’s a bit of slickrock, technical rock gardens, and cool rock work. A “little slice of Sedona and Moab in Vegas”.
5. Head up to Mt. Charleston
Mt. Charleston is the highest peak in Nevada’s Clark County, standing at 11,916 feet. It’s no surprise then, that there are a few fun mountain bike trails down its slopes. It’s also a cool way to see a different side to Las Vegas mountain biking – instead of cacti, the trails are lined with pine trees and you’ll catch some great views out over the otherwise flat desert landscape.
Unfortunately, if you visit in winter (usually the best time to visit Vegas for mountain biking), the trails on Mt. Charelston may be under snow so check the forecast before you head out there. Mt. Charleston is about a 40-minute drive from the city.
Unless you have a shuttle, be prepared to work for your descent, though!
6. Bring your A-Game to Bootleg Canyon
This is the Las Vegas mountain biking trail network that everyone wants to know about and ride. To be fully transparent, I haven’t ridden Bootleg Canyon (yet!). I’ve been to Vegas a number of times to ride, but I’ve always wanted to dedicate a few solid days just to this area and it hasn’t happened yet.
But if you’re heading to Las Vegas for a mountain bike trip, Bootleg Canyon is worth checking out. It used only cater to very experienced (and slightly crazy) riders with extremely technical trails and high-stakes features, but over the past few years, some mellower and more intermediate-friendly singletrack has been added.
Other Trail Networks Around Las Vegas
The above trail networks are the ones that I’ve ridden the most and the ones I know best. There is a TON of riding in Las Vegas, so I haven’t explored everything (I’ve tried!). Here are three more trail networks that I don’t have experience with, but might be worth checking out if you have the time.
Da Burbs
These trails are located northwest of Las Vegas and it’s actually a pretty big network that looks like it caters more toward experienced riders. There are more black-rated trails than blue or green. A friend who has ridden Da Burbs mentioned that the trails can be quite confusing, so have TrailForks ready. I’ve also heard that climbing is quite brutal in Da Burbs.
It seems like Cleod 9 is the trail to do at Da Burbs and this is the route I’d probably start with.
Sloan Canyon Trails
I don’t know much about the Sloan Canyon trail network. It’s shaped kind of like a butterfly with a left and right ‘wing’ with Pandemic providing a bridge between the two. Litterbox seems like a popular trail and after looking at TrailForks, this is a route I came up with based on reviews.
Union Trails
Union Trails is another network I know very little about. I’m curious about Juicy Fruit because it gets really good reviews (“Textbook Las Vegas riding”), so it’ll definitely be on my ride-list when I get back out there.
Planning Your Las Vegas Mountain Bike Adventure
☀️ When to go: The best time to plan a mountain bike trip to Las Vegas is during the cooler winter months. I’ve visited in January, February, and November, and the temps were always a comfortable mid-50’s during the day. It does get cold at night, so if you’re camping be sure to bring lots of warm layers. Late fall and early spring could also be good times to visit, but check the weather before you go to make sure temps are reasonable. Las Vegas does get heavy rains as well, typically in the spring. I would avoid mountain biking in Las Vegas during the summer at all costs.
🗓️ Number of days needed: Honestly, you could spend a few weeks riding in Las Vegas and not cover all the trails. But if you’re just looking to do the highlights, I’d say 4-5 days is enough.
🚲 What bike to bring: This really depends on what kind of riding you want to do. For the desert cross-country singletrack, a short travel bike is best. If you plan on hitting Cowboy Trails or Bootleg Canyon I’d say a mid or long travel bike would be better. If you want to do it all, go with a mid travel bike (like 140-150 rear suspension).
⚡️ e-bikes: Electric bikes are allowed on most trails in Las Vegas with a few exceptions. They’re not allowed on Ebb n’ Flow trail (per request of the trail builder) and they are not allowed on trails within the Red Rock Canyon NCA – so Da Burbs, Cowboy Trails, and Blue Diamond. Please respect the rules.
🚗 Getting around: A car is absolutely necessary. Las Vegas is a big city and the trail networks are all spread out around the outskirts of town. The EVOC Duo is a great travel tailgate pad that you can use with a truck rental.
🏠 Bike shops & rentals: There are lots of good bike shops in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Cyclery is one of the more popular ones and they also offer high-end mountain bike rentals as well as bike racks for your rental car.
🚴 Mountain bike tours: Prefer to have a guide show you around? Escape Adventures and Bike Blast Las Vegas bother offer mountain bike tours around Vegas.
⛺️ Camping: Surprisingly, there’s not a ton of camping around Vegas – free or paid. The only campground west of the city is Red Rock Canyon Campground, which has easy access to most mountain bike trails. However, the campground is pretty primitive with no showers, no electricity, no cell reception and it has pit toilets.
🏨 Hotels: There are plenty of hotels and rentals in Vegas. I recommend looking for one near the western edge of the city so you can have quick and easy access to the trails.
🧳 Las Vegas-specific packing list: For a complete packing list, head over to my Mountain Bike Trip Packing List post. Here are a few recommendations specific to Las Vegas mountain biking:
- Dry lube: It’s dry and dusty in Las Vegas, so be sure to pack some dry chain lube to keep dirt and dust out of your chain. I like to use the Rock n’ Roll Gold.
- Sunscreen: You’re heading to the desert, so sunscreen up! Even if the temps are cool, be sure to take sun protection seriously here.
- 3 liter hydration reservoir: Don’t underestimate the desert environment. Even if you’re heading out for a ‘quick’ spin, carry more water than you think you’ll need. I typically always fill up my 3L hydration bladder even if I’m just heading out on a short pedal.
- Tire sealant: There are a lot of sharp, pointy things in Las Vegas. Top up your tire sealant before you go and bring a small bottle with you in case your tires meet their match.
- Light windbreaker: I used my Patagonia Houdini jacket a lot more than I expected on my most recent trip to Las Vegas. It’s super lightweight and packs down small.
- Robust bike lock system: Unfortunately Las Vegas isn’t the most honest of cities (it is called Sin City after all…), so if you’re going to be leaving your bikes on a rack at all, you need a robust locking system. We typically have three different locks on each bike at a time: A U-lock with cable (one for each bike), and two burly chain lock (one for each bike). Overkill? Maybe. But I’d rather go overboard than have a bike thief walk away with my most prized possession.
I hope this post helps you plan an unforgettable mountain bike trip to Las Vegas! There’s so much more to the city than casinos and shows. The desert outside the city is one of my favorite places to explore by mountain bike and hope you think so too!
Have you mountain biked around Las Vegas? What did you think? Are there any other tips you would include? Let me know in the comments!
Read next
Want even more planning tips? Download my Las Vegas Mountain Biking Guide
I think your ebike information is incorrect. No BLM land allows ebikes, see herehttps://www.blm.gov/nevada/red-rock-canyon-nca/recreation : “E-bikes of any type are not permitted on mountain bike trails — they are limited to motorized-approved roads (Scenic Drive, Rocky Gap Road, Harris Springs Road, Cottonwood To Good Springs Road, Black Velvet Canyon Access Road and the Mustang Loop).”
Even if people are breaking the law, it’s not responsible to post that they’re ok when the land manger doesn’t allow them
I wasn’t aware that e-bikes aren’t allowed in the Red Rock Canyon NCA. Thanks for the tip.
This is a fantastic list of trail recommendations, it was very helpful planning a long week of riding different areas and styles around Vegas.
Thanks, Dan! So glad you found it helpful. Hope you had a great trip 🙂
great information and much details provided. will be in Vegas this Nov and hopefully with your shared information, i will have a blast trailing in Vegas.
It’s one of my favorite places to ride in the southwest- have fun!
Fantastic write up, thanks for taking the time to educate others on the amazing trails we have to offer!
P.S. Just a quick correction, Mt. Charleston peak is 11,916 ft. =)
Thanks for reading! I love the mountain biking in Las Vegas. And thanks for Mt. Charleston correction 🙂
Hi Becky.
I was wondering if there are any businesses that run mountain biking tours. I might bring my husband in early October and he wouldn’t want to ride by himself. He’s an experienced mountain biker so I know he would want to have some fun on the trails. Can you help with a good tour business…if one exists?
Escape Adventures runs day and multi-day tours out of Las Vegas
Thank you so much for all this precious information. I have taken notes and will save a lot of time on the trails and visit the best ones.
Your canadian friend,
Étienne
You’re welcome! Have a great trip!