Mark National Trails Day with a virtual hike at Lake Mead

Saturday’s forecast calls for triple-digit temperatures, so Lake Mead National Recreation Area is offering a cooler, less aerobic way to celebrate National Trails Day.

The park east of Las Vegas on Friday unveiled a “virtual hike” along one of its busiest routes, the Historic Railroad Trail.

The eight-minute video on YouTube highlights the history, scenery and science hikers encounter when they walk the nearly 4-mile trail, which follows the railroad route built in 1931 to ferry material and equipment from Boulder City to the Hoover Dam construction site.

“While this is one of the most popular trails at Lake Mead, we realize not everyone is able to visit our beautiful park or they may not wish to hike during the hot summer season, so we’re sharing the trail and its rich history online,” said recreation area superintendent Lizette Richardson in a statement.

The virtual tour was produced in partnership with Get Outdoors Nevada.

The Historic Railroad Trail is an easy, accessible, dog-friendly hike that starts on National Park Service land off Lakeshore Road near the Lake Mead visitor center and runs through five 25-foot-tall railroad tunnels in just over 2 miles. It then crosses through a gate and onto Bureau of Reclamation property, ending a mile and a half later at the parking garage on the Nevada side of Hoover Dam.

It was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 2015, joining the park’s previously designated River Mountains Loop Trail and Black Canyon National Water Trail.

The trail was graded and resurfaced with decomposed granite in 2017, resulting in a wide, smooth surface suitable for bicycles and wheelchairs.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.