Mountain’s Edge residents form activities team

Many Mountain's Edge residents have formed an outdoor enthusiast club called the Mountain's Edge Team. The 3,500-acre master-planned community is located in the southwestern Las Vegas Valley.

Originally created as an informal group of residents who shared a common love of the outdoors, Mountain's Edge Team is now a formal group consisting of residents and their friends and family and people who live in the nearby area that enjoy running, cycling, racing and other outdoor activities.

"My family is made up of avid cyclers and when we moved to Mountain's Edge, we came from a place where it was easy to find other people to ride with," said Kendra O'Connell, a Mountain's Edge resident. "Helping start a team was a great way to meet new friends and other outdoor fans that enjoy being outdoors, and as a result the Mountain's Edge Team was born."

With the location of Mountain's Edge in close proximity to the mountains and the Red Rock National Conservation Area, it was a natural fit to form a club focused on an active outdoor lifestyle.

"Once we got the word out about what we were doing, our team grew quickly with runners, road cyclists, mountain bikers, triathletes and other multi-sport participants interested in being involved," O'Connell said. "Our team is filled with low-key and friendly people with anyone welcome to join and enjoy plenty of activities for everyone from beginners to experts."

There is no cost to join the Mountain's Edge Team, but all members are required to purchase a shirt, hat or jersey to wear at all team events.

The team has weekly mountain bike rides as well as weekly rides for kids and families. There also are weekly road cycling schedules for women and men. Additionally, there are weekly running and walking schedules for long runs, short runs, runs that welcome strollers as well as the newly formed "I hate running club" that focuses on strength training. The team provides information about local races taking place all across the valley with information found at mtsedgeteam.org.

Many of the team's activities take place in Exploration Park at Mountain's Edge where members gather to enjoy the park's amenities including wide, open grassy spaces, volleyball courts, picnic areas and horseshoe pits. The park's attractions also include trails leading up to the top of Exploration Peak, the city's first mountain park, which features hiking trails.

Another feature of the park that families of the Mountain's Edge Team enjoy is a western theme Park, which is designed for children and blends the natural elements of the community's geography and history.

The building facades act as climbing structures and dirt streets line the town square leading to playgrounds with a covered wagon play structure and a splash park that features a replica of a water tower and spray jets.

A series of paseos wind through the community, connecting residents and their neighborhoods with the community's parks and recreation areas. With several paseos already complete, the trails integrate the existing desert landscape into paths that are designed to be easily navigable for people of all ages and can be used for walking, running or cycling.

Mountain's Edge was certified by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., an independent real estate advisory firm, as the No.1 master-planned community in the United States.

When fully developed, the community will have four elementary schools, -- two of which are already open -- two middle schools and a high school. Shopping centers, restaurants and commercial office space are also planned.

Home builders with actively selling subdivisions at Mountain's Edge include: Amstar Homes, Beazer Homes, Engle Homes, KB Home, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Phillips Homes, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers, Warmington Homes Nevada and Woodside Homes.

For more information, 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 5 p.m., daily and can be reached at 898-5777.