Lake Mead's Historic Railroad Trail
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- The Hoover Dam was built between 1931 and 1936 and was a massive undertaking. Due to the area's isolation, getting supplies and equipment to the construction itself was a challenge. In just five months, the terrain near what is now Lake Mead was forever changed, and a railroad line was built to the construction site.
The railroad was largely abandoned in 1935, and closed for good in 1961, but now the path of the old railroad tracks (including it's five tunnels) is a hiking trail that goes just over 3 1/2 miles from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area's Visitor Center to the Hoover Dam.
On the trail you will find stunning views of Lake Mead, where the evidence of years of drought is very apparent, as you walk back in time, where trains once ran 24 hours a day to bring supplies to the Hoover Dam's construction.
Along the way, the trail passes by the site of Ragtown, a notorious shantytown on the banks of the Colorado River that sprung up during the Great Depression. You can also find leftovers from the dam's construction, including plus for turbines. As you get closer to the dam itself, you get a kind of behind-the-scenes look at the dam, and travel through the Hoover Dam's boneyard.
○ Gear we use: www.amazon.com...
►Please subscribe for weekly updates showcasing some of our adventures: / @sidetrackadventures
►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: / sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a 60 day free trial: share.epidemic...
It's great they made this into an official hiking trail . I hiked this in 1987. No benches , no signs. Was rough going. I parked at the casino that was nearby, believe it was called the lucky strike. Made it to the old rail line and I popped out of tunnel 3 or 4 and found myself face to face with one of those bighorn sheep less than 40 feet away. Thing was huge. He made a slight move towards me and I'm thinking oh shyt. Then he shot up the side of that cliff like you wouldn't believe. I continued on with my eyes peeled high and low only to find the last tunnel was sealed. Awesome experience I'll never forget.
Gold Strike. Had tons of character (and an awesome coffee shop). It's a shame it burned down - what they replaced it with is another soulless corporate piece of crap.
Thanks for your interesting story old timer. Jk I love any history that has to do with our beautiful state of Nevada. ❤
I’ve hiked that tail many many years ago, while going through one of the tunnels, I noticed a loose brick/ rock on the wall, I pulled on it and low and behold was a piece of paper with a pencil, people had added their names to the list of those that were lucky enough to find it, so of course we added ours, and tucked it back and put the rock/ brick back in its place.
This shit is SO cool! I love the leftover bits of history like this. This isn’t the Hoover dam, but without this the Hoover dam wouldn’t exist. Every person working on the dam would have seen it and known about it, but afterwards it was just left behind, like a footprint in a cave. So many tiny parts of history like this are forgotten in favor of the larger or shinier ones. Thanks for showing me this, I love it!
10:27
"... it's incredible to think about the backbreaking labor of the men who build this railrod trail using 1930's equipment."
So true. Thanks for sharing another of your visits.
The thing I appreciate is your attention to detail, whether it's a random marker in the desert, an abandoned driveway or this important part of our nation's history. Thank you ☺️
Thank you, i appreciate it.
I just did this late May 2023. All told I was on the trail for 5 1/2 hrs start to finish with a 45 minute break at the Hoover Dam gift shop. Even though I’m a Floridian and use to warm weather it was a bit of a challenge. So glad I did it and so happy my memory is preserved on your excellent video.
Imagine being the Mom and Pop stucco installation company near Las Vegas and they come to you and say, "Have we got a job for you." Those tunnels are massive - they probably put their kids through college once those jobs were completed.
I was there in 1972. I did not know about the railway. I love your adventures.🚗🛤
Thank you.
That hike looks like the best way to see Hoover Dam,
Avoids paying for parking too!
Great video. Never had an idea that this trail existed!
1970 and hoover dam was a magnificent sight to see. We walked over the damn that was open at the time on a trip from Tucson to Las Vegas.
Steve, I felt like I was right there with you. I never knew about the trail. Thanks again!
As i came from Sydney, Australia and I stayed in Phoenix for 3 weeks last March, So one day, I visited Hoover Dam for couple of hours and it was very interesting. So I want to thank you for great sharing and it is so much appreciated. Cheers.
I've been a resident of Nevada since 1965 and I had no idea about that boneyard and trail .
Thanks for sharing , Imy family did the Dam tour in 1964 ish , I recently did it again , because of the security now the tour is a small example of what it once was .
Thanks. Of all the videos I've watched about the dam, I've never seen this mentioned.
I've been to the dam a number of times but never knew about that old railroad trail. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
My husband and I hiked this trail in 2021, highly recommend it.
Hey Steve, another great adventure thanks to you and your videos. We biked the trail 3/24/24, and it was so neat - beatiful views, warm in the sun, cool in the tunnels, and so exciting to arrive at the dam from the trail. Fellow Sidetrackers: if you're not familiar with this area, best time is between October and May at the latest - otherwise it is dangerously hot, and this and other trails will be closed. Steve, we love your videos, keep on trucking!
Thank You for letting “walk” with you. Shame the lake level so low. It was very interesting. Again, THANK YOU 🙏
Great video. We will
Be sure to take the railroad trail on our next visit.
I wish that there was a nice little tram-style railcar that would use the Railroad Pass RoW between Henderson and the Dam for a cute little tourist-route!
@@robtorres I was quite surprised that NDOT or whoever was in charge of building the Boulder City Bypass decided to actually preserve the railroad by building the bridge over I-11
EXCELLENT STEVE!,,,NOT 5G BUT BIG ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD..,,359M,WELL SHAME ON THE AIR INDUSTRY MUCKING UP THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKY LIKE THAT,ITS REAL BAD HERE IN MAINE AND ABOUT EVERY DAY..
THAT TRAIL LOOKS COOL AND BONE YARD EVEN COOLER..
BEST WISHES,SAFE TRAVELS
Real nice calm-soothing presentation.
thanks for teaching me something you really enjoy, think I learned to like learning and wow I learned why people like scenic views and stuff.
I’ve been to the dam but drove in and then took a tour of the inside. I wasn’t aware of the railroad trail. That was very interesting. Thanks for sharing. 👍☮️🌞❤️
I'm surprised there's nothing at the dam about it. I'm sure a few people would like to check out the boneyard at least.
Thanks for taking my suggestion! Another great vid!
Went in the front entrance to the dam, really enjoyed the train trail and history thru the "back way".
I bet the inside of those tunnels are really cool in the summer.
Nice one Steve. Yeah just think every foot of that railroad and tunnels right. Ragtown is new to me, but of course a lot of the guys found some bars up the road right lol. Well we’ve got snow in the mountains hope some makes it to Lake Mead.
Very enjoyable video. Well done.
I would love to do this hike one day
Very very interesting!! Didn't even know such a thing existed until now! Knew about the Hoover Dam, of course, but nothing about former rail lines being turned into hiking trails.
Another great adventure, Steve !!! Thanks for taking us along !!!
Glad you enjoyed it.
My eldest son, ex brother in law and I went on an adventure years ago. I had a book: “Ghost Towns of Washington”. We visited every one in the northeast quarter of the state. It was an unforgettable trip.
That sounds pretty fun.
Thank you for the trek. I feel the need to go do this one for myself.
I love how you’re always filling my “to visit” list with new and interesting sites. Check one off- no worries, there’s always something coming in.
That's the great thing, you never run out of things to see.
I don't live far, I'm going to have to check that out! Thanks Steve.
Excellent video!
Wow I never knew the trail existed. Another great video
Another Great video and interesting history. 👍
Great video! I hiked this trail in the mid 90's. You confirmed what I remember, one of the tunnels was sealed off, #5. Thanks for sharing.......
Thank you for giving this presentation. I have visited the dam several times, but not since the new bridge was built.
I actually went here for the first time a few months ago. It truly is amazing and that little deli inside literally had the BEST burger I've ever had and it wasn't very expensive.
Added to my to-do list. Next time we visit Vegas we'll be taking our bikes to ride this trail. Thanks!
well done as always
Wow, that was a huge effort (both for the builders, and you hiking up it!)
I wish I had know about that trail when I was at Hoover Dam. Great Video as always Steve.
Thank you.
Always interesting trails and places you explore. Thanks for providing all those details along the way.
Fantastic trek Steve ! You guys have exercised like Olympians these past years.....Thank you for taking us !!!
Cheers from Detroit 🇺🇲
Funny you mention that. For some reason it never occurred to me before this vid, but when he go to the parking lot I thought "Man, even with the grey hair this guy's heart must be like a locomotive."
I look forward to your weekly travels. Thanks for allowing us to come along.
Thank you for watching every week.
Excellent tour..... thanks
I hike all the way to hoover dam. Quite an interesting story about this trail
I got up there a few years ago on tour, I've never regretted it! Because I worked on another hydroelectric job up in Yosemite National Park back in 1980! We had the power plant built entirely inside of a mountain it was amazing to see! It's still running today and I'm retired!!
My grandad worked as a high scaler on the dam .I hope to see it someday
Thanks so much for this video. Your comments and attention to detail is appreciated. I've been a Hoover dam aficionado since I was little. Finally visited it in 2014. Next time, I'll be walking this trail.
I've been on that dam tour! 😄 I still have my souvenir hardhat. Fascinating but if you're trying to get somewhere, it is not the first thing you want to do since it does take a decent amount of time, but it's history you HAVE to see at some point! I always loved driving that road over the dam. I did it many times before the bridge as constructed. I kind of wish they hadn't have closed it on the one side because it was a nice drive. What I would have preferred was to limit it to light passenger vehicles only just to limit the traffic jam that you used to see. Maybe with like a 50 cent or $1 toll per vehicle. Have to imagine that this would have been a good money maker.
I’ve watched multiple vids on this trail/route and yours is by far the best. Great job!! 🤘🤘
I did not know about this trail, I lived in Henderson a couple of times. Been fishing below the dam that was an awesome experience, been inside for a tour too. Thanks for the share.
Looking at those railroad trestles, I always marvel at the amount of lumber used. Considering the location out there on the desert, it must have cost an additional small fortune to truck all that lumber in from the forests. Very interesting video. Thanks.
Nah they brought everything by train
Great job. Dams and railroad! The best 👍. Thanks for sharing your story 🤠
I had no idea this was here. I would have loved to do that hike when I was there.
A true marvel of human accomplishment. Thx for this very peaceful, insightful and enjoyable tour.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great low key walk, but you filled it with information!
I live in Boulder City, having moved here from San Diego. I’ve been able to explore the pieces of history still remaining from the dam builders. I love the area!
Thanks for encouraging more visitors to come enjoy our area!
That had to of been brutal work in the heat!
I'd definitely want to be on the night shift.
Another great history lesson and travel adventure - Thanks!
Only found out about the tunnels because of ghost adventures 😂 glad you covered them too. Love these videos you do.
Thank you, good job!
Excellent video, Steve. Thanks for sharing. I always look forward to your interesting and informative tours. Until next time, stay safe. 💙
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Another great video. I've been in this area many times since the 80s and didn't know this trail was here. Thanks!
Your trips l find very inspiring, l feel right there with you. If your wife and son are with you show them!
Consider a visit to Boulder City. The information we learned there really tied together with the dam information. I am old enough to remember that Hoover Dam used to be called Boulder Dam.
Awesome adventure. Thank you for sharing. Safe and fun travels to you.
Thank you for sharing this video I really enjoyed it thanks to check out in the future.
Fascinating! Thank you for sharing this!
We did that hike about 4 years ago
very interesting😉 Great content MrSteve☺️👍
Great video👍 Out of all the times we've done the trail we never went far enough to know there's a bike rack there! We're going to bike and walk the dam next time for sure, thanks for that info. You picked the perfect time for the trail too it's hiking season in the desert🌵 There is a little shortcut (steep!) you can drop down to the trail behind the lodge also if the main lot is full or you want to hike a tunnel and return. The boating though... I'm sure anything below 65 or so is FREEZING on the lake (at least for the warm blooded folk)😂
I figured it was too cold but it was surprising to see no boats since the last time I was there was in the summer and there were boats everywhere.
Ah! Another one you beat us to! 😂 Fantastic video as always! Wish we had time to walk the trail when we were there.
Thanks. If you a chance to do the trail its worth it. Also saves on paying for parking at the dam!
Although I’m not 100% certain, I think at the end of the video you captured the pillbox on the top of the hill that was constructed to protect the dam during WWII. It’s a pretty interesting piece of history too.
I feel like when I was a kid you could get near it, but last year I noticed there were no trespassing signs up there.
Another great video!
Looks like a peaceful adventure!
Wow Steve, Great Video. I have Driven Right by here & Never Stopped. I was in kind of a Hurry Driving to my Family Reunion. This Video was Full of History & Great Information. You Did a Really Good job. Thank you for Sharing ❤ I Enjoyed it
This was awesome, thanks for posting! What an interesting hike!
Sidetrack Steve, Another fascinating video! I love RR history. Too bad they don’t have a tourist RR going thru there. I love your music too. 🤔😃🚂🚃🚃🚃🎼🎵🎶🎸
Absolutely love this video sir! You did a superb job in telling the story and describing what it would feel like being there. I think you found your calling!
I truly enjoyed this video. Very informative, now i know what i need to know before i go on that trail myself! Thank you!!!
Great video. I’ll plan to visit this trail next time I’m in Vegas.
A couple of notes about hiking this trail:
1. It is open year-round but they close the gates at dark.
2. You can also park at the Hoover Dam Lodge to access the trail. There is an entrance to the trail clearly labeled along the back fence of the parking lot. It does make the hike to the dam a little shorter although you do have to go up / down a steep hill from the parking lot to access the main trail.
3. Do watch for rattlesnakes - last spring there was a sidewinder just off of the early part of the trail when I was there 🐍
4. Big horn sheep are in the area but I've only seen them in the winter time. They go up and down those steep slopes next to the trail like it's nothing. Remarkable.
5. The Bone Yard is a relatively new thing. I believe it opened around 2011.
I love this trail! It's fairly common to spot chuckwallas around the tunnels.
As always Steve, my thanks to you & your "crew" for another peek into the SW corner of your fantastic country!! Love those suspicious activity signs, real Pink Panther stuff. uk
Very interesting hike, I have drove through there many times but I never knew of that trail. I liked seeing the train tunnels. Hey by the way, you need an Arizona Diamondbacks Hat! 😁
Great video and details of the history of the dam. I first visited it in 1958 as a 6 year old kid and very impressed.
Thank you for your continued great content!
Great research on all your videos. Thanks
Another wonderful video! I appreciate you over dubbing so you don't hear the sound of your footsteps.
Excellent video Steve! I want to check this out now.
It's a lot of fun.
What a coincidence! I was at Hoover dam just a few weeks ago. I accompanied a friend of mine whose father helped build the dam. She was donating letters and journals he wrote, patches that were sewn to their work clothes and pictures taken during his time on the build. I wish I had known about the railroad trail. I’ve gone to the dam dozens of time and had no idea. It was quite chilly the day we were there, and we had to bundle up. It was impressive seeing you in a T-shirt with that 54° digital sign behind you. You’re a better person than I am. 😂
Wow. That's great that she was donating her father's items. Being from San Diego the 54 was a little chilly but I knew once we started walking it would get hot. Later that night we went to the Neon Boneyard in Vegas and I was freezing!
@@SidetrackAdventures my friend is getting up there in years and she has no heirs so she thought that the dam’s archives could give those things a good home. Have you and your family been to the Old Mormon fort just north of downtown LV? The fort’s story is interesting, especially it’s Civil War history when it was known as Fort Baker. Back in early 2000s I gave a lecture to the Las Vegas Civil War Roundtable, that used to meet at the old Fort. The state has done a nice restoration of the fort and there is some original buildings there and they’ve got a very nice visitor center.
@@boomtownrat5106 I haven't been there. We will probably be back in Las Vegas soon so I'll have to check it out.
One of your best! I really enjoyed it. Great job.
I really enjoy the historical context you provide in your videos. Gives me a much broader view of what it all means and how it relates to what we are living today, as well as what it took for us to be where we are. Thanks, always worth while! 🙂
Elegantly done, Mr. Adventures! This episode is very cinematographic as well as informative, interesting, etc. Thanks for your painstaking work documenting the real world.