Before you protest about farther-flung, more rugged Valley escapes deserving this shout-out, think of the fact that this 34-mile gem is only 25 minutes from the Strip and accommodates all levels of fitness. The paved trail around the River Mountains offers a “glorious game of peekaboo” with Lake Mead (thanks, New York Times) and a leg-annihilating climb over the Three Sisters, not to mention desert wildlife that is not shy. Here’s hoping you like bighorn sheep. Trailheads in Henderson, Boulder City and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, rivermountainstrail.org.
