DEF CON Convention Bicyclists Pedal Red Rock Canyon And State Route 159 Outside Summerlin

 

It's Friday morning and I'm biking a 34-mile ride that includes the State Route 159 stretch from Summerlin through Red Rock Canyon outside Las Vegas.

It's a rare road ride for me. I just don't ride my bicycle around Las Vegas too much anymore because the roads here in Las Vegas/Clark County are designed for cars and not for bicyclists and walkers and way too dangerous for my taste. I find a motorist nearly hits me every time I ride for more than 30 miles around Clark County and Las Vegas.. 

Only a few months ago, Clark County had a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the Red Rock Legacy Trail, a paved trail that is supposed to run from Summerlin along the State Route 159 corridor through Red Rock Canyon to State Route 160 (Blue Diamond Road). Sounds like a great idea after 20 years of planning and talking. A 20-mile trail along the busy and also dangerous SR 159 is vitally needed.

But the first phase that was celebrated a few months ago is a mere .99 of a mile and it was sad and disappointing to see a group of bicyclists ignore the new trail to stay on the road while I was bicycling Friday morning. It was a group of DEF CON convention bicyclists. For the record, I do bike on the trail and then walk my bike back to State Route 159.

This .99 of  mile trail also dead ends and there's no temporary trail of 30 feet or so to hook back into SR 159. That's Clark County and Las Vegas for you. It's a minor point. But the bar of design and bicycle amenities are just so low here in Vegas.

The DEF CON bicyclists were having a good time following SR 159 to the Red Rock overlook parking lot that's situated before the Red Rock loop exit on 159.

Tip of the helmet to Bruce, who once bicycled from Virginia to Las Vegas to attend the DEF CON event.in a previous year and organized the DEF CON bicyclist ride.

 

Hopefully the Red Rock Legacy Trail will be extended beyond the ,99 of a mile. Work is supposed to continue o extending the trail in 2027. So we shall see. Bicyclists are not exactly a high priority in the Las Vegas area.