Urban trails enable residents to explore nature without leaving city

Karen Sikorski has seen all kinds of wildlife on her frequent walks along the trails that wind through Sunset Park's dunes.

Many rabbits. A few of what she has been told are quail. And, of course, walkers, joggers, hikers, skaters, bicyclists and, once, a guy who seemed to be practicing hockey in the parking lot near the trails' entrance.

Sikorski, who lives in the neighborhood around the park -- "I mean, I'm at the back door, literally," she says -- finds Sunset's walking trails to be a close-to-home, relaxing place to exchange city life for an hour or two of woodsy surroundings.

She's not alone. Southern Nevadans who crave a bit of exercise and a pleasant daily walk probably need to look no farther than their own neighborhoods to find a picturesque and free-to-use hiking trail.

Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson and North Las Vegas all maintain public walking paths and hiking trails, as do some of the valley's homeowners associations. Some of these urban trails extend for less than a mile on paved paths, others for several miles on more natural surfaces. And while some are navigable to just about anybody, urban hikers seeking more strenuous workouts can find those, too.

Alan O'Neill, former executive director of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes open space and trails in the valley, estimates the area is home to "well over 200 miles" of trails.

"What I've found is, some of the best trails we have in the system are actually within existing parks," he says. "We have maybe 100 of those in the valley. They may be anywhere from four-tenths of a mile to several miles (long)."

Valley parks and recreation managers say the valley's urban trails typically are used most heavily by residents of the immediate neighborhoods in which they're located.

Yet, says Michelle Menart, planner for North Las Vegas' parks and recreation department, "I have talked to some people who actually know about (a particular trail) and will drive to those locations to use the trail."

Greg McDermott, engineering project manager for Las Vegas' public works department, notes that "we don't have a lot of research at this time" about users of the city's walking trails.

Steve Corry, assistant director of parks and recreation for Clark County, says the county's collection of park-based trails are widely used.

"We see people who are there with their children. We see older people. We see individuals by themselves. We see larger groups. And we see people with dogs. Just, really, all the demographic and age ranges."

Some, Menart says, use the trails as "an alternative mode of transportation," rather than streets and sidewalks, to commute to school or work. For example, North Las Vegas recently added a 3½-mile segment to its Upper Las Vegas Wash Regional Trail. On a recent afternoon, that path was used by a handful of students returning home from school.

In a time of expensive gasoline and tight finances, Corry has noticed that more Southern Nevadans seem to be employing urban walks as family recreational activities.

"I think one of the most common things I hear about Sunset Park, which I really like hearing, is that people feel like they're out in nature in the middle of the city when they're at Sunset Park," Corry says.

Sunset Park is home to some of the valley's newest urban trails. The trails, dedicated in December, wind through the park's natural dunes and enable the hiker to create as long or as short a walk as he or she desires by combining looping paths with interconnections.

The trails are wide and comfortable and are peppered with a variety of interpretative displays. Sikorski has been walking the new trails for a few months now.

"It keeps changing," she says. "I've been watching the last couple weeks, and the leaves have been budding."

Sikorski -- who says she's "over 60" -- has hiked Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Mount Charleston, but likes the convenience and rural feel of Sunset Park's trails.

"When we first moved here, and that was almost 10 years ago, when I'd have out-of-town guests, we'd go out and hike Mount Charleston or Red Rock," she says. "But it's a drive. It's an event. It becomes what you want to do for the day. This is just to get some exercise."

Corry says the new Sunset Park trails cover nearly five miles, and the public's response to them "has been fantastic."

O'Neill notes that urban trails also can be attractive family recreation options because the parks ... typically offer activities for nonhikers, too.

"The real advantage to the city trails is, if you're a family, there are plenty of things for those who aren't walking to do," he says. "There are splash pools, there's horseshoes, there's all the other things."

Those parks, and urban trails themselves, also may be equipped with water fountains, restroom facilities, parking lots and other amenities that make them appealing to new hikers who, perhaps, don't desire the all-out outdoorsy experience of hiking at Red Rock or Mount Charleston.

"That appeals to some because it's not like you're going way out in nature," O'Neill says. "But if you get in to this kind of walking, they realize, 'Hey, I'm starting to get into shape,' and they're, maybe, more comfortable venturing out to Red Rock and Mount Charleston."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@review journal.com or 702-383-0280.