Exploration Peak at Mountain’s Edge offers historical perspective

The 3,500-acre master plan of Mountain's Edge offers the city's first mountain park, Exploration Peak.

"With this great spring weather we love being able to enjoy the outdoors in such a wonderful park that's pretty much in our backyard," said Jason Smith, a resident of Mountain's Edge. "Hiking on the mountain is a good challenge, but not so difficult that we can't make it to the top to enjoy the great views. It is very peaceful and also great exercise."

Exploration Peak includes several trails that lead up to the 2,846-foot mountain top. The series of hiking trails were designed for people of all ages, and include ramadas at two different stages to serves as a rest area for hikers and walkers.

Exploration Peak is part of Exploration Park, an 80-acre park that includes a Western theme park, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas and an amphitheatre for concerts.

Jason Smith's wife, Monique Smith, said she enjoys the reward of getting to the top of Exploration Peak where the couple can enjoy a picturesque lunch together on a patio on the top of the mountain that features 360-degree views of the valley.

"There's a ramada at the top where we can each sit down and have a nice lunch together," Monique Smith said. "What's also great is that a round patio in the shape of a compass with several plaques that point out at historical points of reference across the valley."

The plaques at the top of Exploration Peak are located at four different points of a paved patio with views of the entire Las Vegas Valley. A plaque located at the eastern point of the patio directs visitors to the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, which runs five miles east of Mountain's Edge. Prior to the railroad's completion in 1905, the relatively isolated Las Vegas Valley was crossed by pack animals and wagon teams traveling arduous and dusty miles over the Old Spanish Trail between Utah and California.

An additional plaque acknowledges the Frenchman Mountain, more widely known as the Sunrise Mountain, the dominating peak that defines the eastern edge of the valley. The mountain was named after an unsuccessful and notorious scam operation referred to as the Frenchman Mine scheme, where the mine was salted with gold ore and shares of stock were sold based on fraudulent information. The oldest rock exposed anywhere on this continent can be seen at Frenchman Mountain, known as 1.7 billion year-old Vishnu Schist.

Hikers interested in learning more about Red Rock Canyon will find a plaque that offers insights about the formation of the canyon. A dramatic geological feature in Southern Nevada, the sandstone cliffs of Red Rock Canyon are located 16 miles northwest from the Exploration Peak mountaintop vantage point. The most significant geologic feature of Red Rock Canyon is the Keystone Thrust Fault, part of a large system of massive thrust faults that extends into Canada. Because its geological structure is such a rare phenomenon, people come from all over the world to visit Red Rock Canyon.

The formation of the Old Spanish Trail was one of the seminal moments in the history of the Las Vegas Valley. A plaque details the history of the trail that stretches across Clark County. The historic pack-mule route became Nevada's first route of commerce where trade was initiated between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles. The trail was later used by the wagons of the 49ers and Mormon pioneers. From the top of Exploration Peak, visitors can see segments of the two-track wagon road that still exist as an off-road trail from Blue Diamond Road.

The trails of Exploration Peak wind down into Exploration Park. One of the features of the park for children is the Western theme park that blends the natural elements of community's geography and history. Dirt streets line the town square leading to play areas including amenities such as a covered wagon play structure and a replica water tower splash park that incorporate spray jets.

A series of paseos have been built to integrating trails into the existing desert landscape.

Builders within in the master plan include: Amstar Homes, Beazer Homes, Camden Homes, Discovery Homes, Harmony Homes, KB Home, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Phillips Homes, Pulte Homes, Richmond American Homes, Ryland Homes, Storybook Homes and Warmington Residential Nevada. For more information, visit focuspropertygroup.com.

For more information, visit to visit the development's Home Search Café, located at the community's entrance on Buffalo Drive and Blue Diamond Road, or visit mountainsedge.com. The Café is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and can be reached at 898-5777.