Buckskin Middle Earth Trail

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Common Questions

Distance:: 1.2 miles
Class:: Class 1
Dogs:: Ok
Route Style:: connector
Trail Condition:: Maintained
Tags:: exposed, mountain biking
Difficulty:: Easy
Parking:: At the Buckskin Cliff Shadows parking lot or Trigono Hills Park.
Restrooms:: Yes
Reception:: Unreliable
Access:: Pick up the trail from Toque or Black Friday as this is a connector on the backside of the mountain.
Good to Know:: There's but a few trail markers.
Why:: Nice connector trail from Black Friday, No Dab, or Toque. Ideal for mountain bike riding.
Wildlife Probability:: No
Trailhead coordinates:: 36.23217, -115.34473 — Map

The Buckskin Middle Earth trail is located in Buckskin Cliff Shadows—a region of Northwest Las Vegas. Surprisingly, this entire park is part of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Due to thereof, it's maintained by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). This area has perhaps the highest concentration of mountain bike trails in Las Vegas. Middle Earth is just one of many connectors. The trails are however not solely for biking. Making this area rich in hiking trails too.

Other notable connectors include but are not limited to Toque, No-Dab, and Black Friday. Combining Middle Earth, Toque, and No-Dab is an excellent loop around the entire mountain—a unique hiking trail. What's more, is the wonderful views of The Strip.

Buckskin Cliff Shadows

Though there's hiking in Las Vegas that treads on eons of routes created by indigenous tribes, travelers of the Old Spanish Trail, etc, these are not among them. These "social trails" made Buckskin Cliff Shadows a collection of local mountain biking trails created during the 1990s and 2000s. So...none of which were professionally designed akin to the most popular ones in Red Rock Canyon.

As the Summerlin and Sun City communities rapidly expanded, the City of Las Vegas realized they need to manage the land. Desert tortoises and a variety of unique and native plants and animals are now protected from encroaching urbanization. The name Buckskin is purportedly a nod to the area's long history of horse use, hence the "Equestrian Park" we have today.

Just because the BLM maintains this area and is included in Red Rock Canyon, does not mean the trails are clearly labeled. Signage is minimal. There's an abundance of forks and no name trails that spiral into others. Buckskin Cliff Shadows is akin to the Cowboy Trails/ Blue Diamond Hill recreation area not far away. This entire park is almost entirely exposed. Planning ahead of time is mandatory depending on the time of day, season, and temperature.

The Buckskin Cliff Shadows area is a unique and lesser traveled series of hiking trails, a fabulous place for sights of The Strip and recreation in Northwest Las Vegas.