Lone Mountain Trail is a poorly-named urban trail in the City of Las Vegas, following the Buffalo wash. This particular trail has nothing to do with Lone Mountain itself, but is still a great little jaunt, especially for the mix of green space and city landscape.
I was curious about this trail and the chain of parks along it after the Labor Day 5K at W Wayne Bunker Park. I wondered why we did two loops around the park instead of following the trail. Now I know.
The full trail crosses a few streets, then uses bridges over main arteries. An organized race would require police presence to safely manage runners. For a 5K, it’s not worth the bother.
Lone Mountain Trail Wayne Bunker to Buckskin Basin Park
W Wayne Bunker Park is the northern terminus of the Lone Mountain Trail. You can do a 5k within the park and the retaining basin to the south, as the Labor Day 5K did. The benefit here is that you don’t have to cross any streets to get your miles in.
However, if you want fresh scenery, head south on Pioneer Way, crossing Gowan to Buckskin Basin Park. Don’t let Google Maps fool you – it is probably about a full mile if you go along the outside. It has curving paths with a comfortable rust-colored substance, along with a playground and picnic areas. There’s a large soccer field with lights to the west of the walking/picnic areas, so there’s room to roam.
Buckskin Basin Park to Doc Romero Park
From Buckskin Basin Park, head south on Pioneer Way, then west on Atwood to Tioga. Keep an eye out for the small, white Lone Mountain Trail signs, especially at Tioga, as you head into an alley.
That leads directly to a pedestrian bridge that drops you into Doc Romero park. This section is urban hiking, just removed enough to safely get where you want to go.
Doc Romero Park is also underrepresented on Google Maps. Strava is more accurate in showing the size of this park. It’ll be explored in its own post!
