On a Tuesday morning in late April, 21 cyclists rode past a commemorative banner on the west end of Charleston Boulevard. The ride was short because the path was short. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Clark County was marking the completion of the first mile of the Red Rock Legacy Trail, which is planned to run 19 miles. One rider, Susan Feinberg, told the paper, "We just rode it, and we can tell you, it is so smooth and so safe."
That was April, near the end of a reservation season. Now it's November, and Red Rock Canyon is back in the months when it limits car entry to the Scenic Drive. The conservation area's reservation system already lets people on foot and on bikes skip that rationing. The new mile is the first piece of pavement built for those people, and it starts at the edge of Summerlin South.
One mile, one bridge and a sign you can finally stand next to
The 8 News Now report on the opening describes Phase 1 as a paved, one-mile out-and-back trail along westbound Charleston after Sky Vista Drive. According to the Review-Journal, the path is 12 feet wide and multipurpose, built to keep riders out of the traffic lanes on State Route 159. It also includes a bridge over a wash.
Phase 1 also changed two things at the trailhead:
- A new parking lot at Charleston Boulevard and Sky Vista Drive. The opening ceremony was held there.
- The Red Rock Canyon sign has moved. Phase 1 put the well-known visitor sign on its own lot, where people can safely stop for photos.
For years, a photo at that sign meant pulling onto a highway shoulder. Now you can walk to it on a paved path from a parking lot. That's an easy outing for a weekday morning or for family visiting over the holidays, and you don't need a reservation, a fee or a car pointed at the Scenic Drive.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones described what the path is for at the opening. "It is going to give people options to ride their bike, they can push a stroller, they can go for a jog, and they can access the beautiful area of Red Rock Canyon safely," he told reporters, according to the Review-Journal.
The entry rule that already favored bikes and feet
The path ends at the sign, a good distance short of the Scenic Drive. The reason it still matters is in Red Rock's entry rules. The Bureau of Land Management's timed-entry page on Recreation.gov requires reservations from October 1 to May 31, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., so the current season's window closes May 31. The same page says walk-in and bicycle visitors don't need a timed-entry reservation. They pay at the entrance kiosk or show a pass, and e-bikes and onewheels count as bicycles.
Here's how the rules compare by how you arrive, with fees from Red Rock Canyon's Fees & Passes page:
| How you arrive | Timed-entry reservation, Oct. 1 to May 31 | Entry fee |
|---|---|---|
| Car or truck | Required 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | $20 |
| Motorcycle | Required 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | $10 |
| Bicycle, e-bike or onewheel | Not required | $8 |
| On foot | Not required | $5 |
Recreation.gov also lists a nonrefundable $2 reservation fee per ticket for vehicle reservations. Annual and lifetime pass holders still pay that fee, and the pass covers the entrance fee.
The car rules have a few more details. A vehicle that gets through the fee station by 8 a.m. can enter without a reservation. Each reservation is good for a one-hour window, and coming back in after leaving takes a new one. The page also warns that parking lots fill early on weekends, holidays and fee-free days, and that visitors arriving between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. can't count on every lot being open.
Why the short days make this the path's real season
Car rules get stricter in winter, and the days get shorter too. From November through February, the park is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. In October it stays open until 7 p.m., and from April through September until 8 p.m. The Visitor Center is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Recreation.gov advises stopping there first, because leaving the Scenic Drive and coming back takes a new reservation.
A winter visit by car now involves booking an hour-long slot, finding a parking spot and fitting the trip into an 11-hour day. The mile from Sky Vista needs none of that. You can walk or ride it whenever you have 30 minutes, with Red Rock in front of you the whole way.
The regulars were riding this road long before the path opened. The Review-Journal reported that Barry and Susan Feinberg belong to a bike club out of Sun City Summerlin that rides three times a week, twice along the route where the trail is going in. "It's just nice to have our own bike path rather than trying to share it with high-speed traffic," Barry Feinberg told the paper. Fellow club member Jackie Cupp praised the new overpass and called the trail and its views fantastic.
Twenty-one years of advocacy behind one mile
According to the BLM, the area around Red Rock has lacked paved off-road routes, so families and less experienced cyclists and runners have had to use the shoulders of SR-159 and SR-160, which keep getting busier. The trail is meant to give them safer access without a car.
The Review-Journal has traced the idea for the trail to a 2005 hit-and-run that killed an off-duty police officer who was riding his bike near the canyon. The nonprofit Save Red Rock has lobbied the county for the trail for about 21 years since then, and it raised the project's first $12 million. Save Red Rock President Heather Fisher told 8 News Now, "Now we can access it safely without driving a car and without getting crashed by a car."
Several agencies share the work. The BLM names the Federal Highway Administration's Central Federal Lands Highway Division as the federal lead, working with the BLM, Clark County and the Nevada Department of Transportation. Jones put the full project at about $100 million and said all of its funding has already been set aside through grants and county money, the Review-Journal reported.
Where the pavement goes next
At the opening, Jones told 8 News Now that the first mile was the hardest phase because it meant building a bridge, and that the rest of the trail is already being designed. Clark County's project page lays out the remaining four phases:
- Phase 2, 6.61 miles, from the end of Phase 1 to the Scenic Loop exit, with access to the Visitor Center and the Scenic Loop. Its main funding source is a Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act grant.
- Phase 3, 3.5 miles, from the Scenic Loop exit to Bonnie Springs Road.
- Phase 4, 2.1 miles, from Bonnie Springs Road to Castalia Road in Blue Diamond.
- Phase 5, about 3.9 miles, from Blue Diamond Wash to a planned trailhead near Hualapai Way and Blue Diamond Road, funded mainly through the Federal Lands Access Program.
Phase 2 is the one that changes things most for Summerlin South, because it brings the path to the Visitor Center and the Scenic Loop. In its March 2026 FAQ, Save Red Rock said it expects Phases 2 and 3 to open in 2028, with Phases 4 and 5 soon after. In April, Jones told the Review-Journal he expected the entire project to be finished within three years. Both are projections. Until Phase 2 opens, the paved, car-free route ends at the sign, and from there you go the rest of the way the same way you always have.
This winter, the paved part is the mile from the Sky Vista lot, over the wash and up to the sign.
If living close to that trailhead is on your list for your next home, Waylon Goebel can walk you through which parts of Summerlin South put Charleston and Sky Vista a short drive or ride away, and what that access means for value when you buy or sell. Get in Touch, and we'll start with a map and an honest conversation.
