The name "Lone Mountain" covers four different places in the northwest valley: a peak, two Clark County parks and a City of Las Vegas trail. For most of the year it doesn't matter much which one someone means. This Sunday, November 1, the clocks fall back an hour, sunset moves to 4:44 p.m., and the four places start fitting very different parts of the day.
The peak is now an early-afternoon hike. The park on Jensen Street is the one with posted hours that run well past dark. The regional park by the 215 is where you reserve a table for a weekend gathering. The channel trail connects to the same road as the peak. Here's the layout.
| Name | Where it is | What it's built for |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Mountain peak | End of Vegas Vista Trail, off Alexander Road | 1.2-mile summit route and a loop around the base |
| Lone Mountain Park, Clark County | 4445 N. Jensen, at Craig and Jensen | Equestrian arena, courts, playgrounds, picnic gazebos |
| Lone Mountain Regional Park, Clark County | 9825 W. Lone Mountain Rd., at Lone Mountain and the 215 | Reservable picnic areas, dog runs |
| Lone Mountain Trail, City of Las Vegas | Buffalo Drainage Channel, between Buffalo Drive and Tenaya Way | Route from Summerlin Parkway north to Alexander Road, with two pedestrian bridges |
Sunday shrinks the summit window
At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, clocks go back to 1:00 a.m. A sunset hike you could start after work on Saturday now has to start almost an hour earlier by the clock. Through the rest of the month, timeanddate's Las Vegas table shows sunset getting earlier still:
- November 1: 4:44 p.m.
- November 15: 4:32 p.m.
- November 30: 4:26 p.m.
Now set that against the trail itself. In its October 12 roundup of hikes with the best views near Las Vegas, the Review-Journal's Neon lists Lone Mountain at a 3,342-foot summit, 1.2 miles and 534 feet of gain, and calls it the most beginner-friendly hike on the list. A fast hiker can reach the top in as little as 30 minutes up the west face.
Do the math for mid-November. To be on top at 4:32 p.m. on the 15th, a fast hiker needs to leave the parking area by about 4:00. Anyone walking with kids or stopping to catch their breath should start earlier than that. The trip down happens in fading light either way, so the useful number is the time you start climbing, not the sunset time itself.
Getting there takes some planning too. Neon's directions are to take the 215 Beltway to Cliff Shadows Parkway at the Cheyenne Avenue exit, go north, turn right onto Alexander Road, turn left at Vegas Vista Trail, and park on the right at the end of the road. Neon also suggests bringing a sit pad, because the rocks at the top are uncomfortable to sit on.
If you'd rather not climb, there's the longer loop around the base, which Neon describes as a hot spot for walkers and horseback riders. Neon also notes that the peak is a popular spot on fireworks holidays. The next one on the calendar is New Year's Eve.
Alexander Road ties the trail to the peak
According to the City of Las Vegas, its Lone Mountain Trail runs along the Buffalo Drainage Channel between Buffalo Drive and Tenaya Way, from Summerlin Parkway north to Alexander Road. It has pedestrian bridges at Lake Mead Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue.
Alexander Road is also the turn Neon gives for reaching the peak trailhead. So the trail's north end and the drive to the summit share the same east-west road. The City included the trail in its list of walks for cooler weather. The two bridges help on weekday walks, because you can cross Lake Mead and Cheyenne without waiting at the traffic lights.
The channel trail fits the in-between hours. It works on mornings that are too short for the drive to the trailhead, or on afternoons when it's already too late to start the summit before sunset.
After sunset, Jensen Street keeps going
Once the sun goes down, the four places really split apart. Clark County's park rules give Lone Mountain Park, at Craig and Jensen, posted hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The rules also say the equestrian parking lot lights stay on until 10:30 p.m. On November 15, that's about five and a half hours of posted park time after the 4:32 p.m. sunset.
That's also where most of the equipment is. The County's parks locator lists a covered practice arena, two round riding pens, two pickleball courts, basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds, picnic areas and park trails. The equestrian lights matter because riders use this site. It's the same horse community that uses the loop around the base of the peak to the west.
For anyone walking a dog there after work, Clark County's rules require dogs and cats in County parks to be under the handler's control and on a leash no longer than six feet. The same rules limit parking to designated areas and prohibit leaving a vehicle overnight.
A note on the address: the County's reservation page lists the park at 4445 N. Jensen, and the parks locator lists 4425. Craig and Jensen gets you there either way.
Saturday tables at both parks
Shorter days push gatherings into the middle of the day, and that's when the two County parks become useful for different reasons. Both take reservations through the same Clark County number, (702) 455-1905.
Lone Mountain Regional Park, at Lone Mountain Road and the 215, has six reservable areas, set up as five small ones and one large one:
- Areas C through G: 50 people each, with one charcoal BBQ, two tables and bench seating.
- Area H: 75 people, with four large charcoal BBQs and eight tables.
The regional park also has dog runs, which the County's capital plan lists as completed on June 30, 2023. The same plan describes two more phases as proposed but unfunded. One is a day-use picnic area with volleyball courts and parking, estimated at $15,042,517. The other is a trail and equestrian staging area at $4,434,570. Until they're funded, they stay plans.
Lone Mountain Park on Jensen takes bigger groups per area and is the better choice when kids need a playground close by. The County lists three reservable gazebos plus five first-come, first-served picnic tables under shade shelters:
| Gazebo | Capacity | Location | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Southernmost area, near a play area | 7 tables, 2 grills |
| 2 | 99 | Center of the park, next to the restroom | Large pavilion, 12 tables, 2 grills |
| 3 | 75 | North end, on the Discovery side | 7 cement tables, 3 grills |
The choice between the two sites follows the same clock logic as the rest of the month. For a gathering that might run past sunset, the Jensen site has the posted 10 p.m. closing time. For a midday gathering with dogs, the regional park has the dog runs right there. And if anyone wants a view before the food, the peak trailhead off Alexander Road is a short drive from either park, as long as the group starts climbing well before 4:00.
I've spent 22 years living by a schedule, and the time change is one of the few schedule changes everyone in the valley shares. If you're new to the northwest side, maybe on fresh PCS orders, and want to know which Lone Mountain someone means before you drive to the wrong one, Dan Merrill is glad to walk you through it. Let's Connect.
