Mountain bike · Red Rock NCA
Mountain biking Cottonwood Valley
Mountain biking Cottonwood Valley near Blue Diamond: the Late Night trailhead on SR-160, how much trail there is, the best season and a weekly night ride.
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 4 sources · mountain bike
Photo: Stan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Distance
- 35 mi designated (NPS); about 60 mi of loops (SNMBA)Sources: NPS: Late Night Trailhead; Southern Nevada Mountain Bike Association: trails
- Surface
- Singletrack, beginner flow to technicalSource: Southern Nevada Mountain Bike Association: trails
- Best season
- October through MaySource: Southern Nevada Mountain Bike Association: trails
Each stat shows its source. We only list figures a land manager or named source publishes; a missing stat means we found no published figure.
Conditions at the start
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Map
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On the map
Cottonwood Valley is a trail network (35 designated miles per NPS) with no single published route, so the map shows the trailhead only.
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Rules, fees and who runs it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management, Red Rock Canyon NCA
- Entry
- Free; no entry fee on the Cottonwood side (SNMBA)
- Trailhead
- Late Night, SR-160, 15 miles west of I-15
- Water
- None at the trailhead
Cottonwood Valley is the big cross-country trail network on the south side of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, between the village of Blue Diamond and State Route 160. Most local riders just call it Blue Diamond or Late Night, after the main trailhead. The Bureau of Land Management manages it as part of Red Rock Canyon NCA.
Getting there
The Late Night Trailhead is on State Route 160, the Pahrump Valley Highway, 15 miles west of I-15. The NPS describes the entrance as signed and marked with large metal mule-train silhouettes, a nod to the Old Spanish Trail that crossed this pass in the 1800s. There’s a restroom but no water. SNMBA also points riders to the Cowboy Trails parking area off SR-160 just past Blue Diamond.
How much trail there is
The NPS page calls it a 23,000-acre recreation area with 35 miles of designated trail. SNMBA, which stewards the trails, describes about 60 miles of stacked-loop singletrack, from beginner flow to technical desert chunk. The gap is real: a 2021 BLM planning document counted 34.9 miles of designated trail and almost 32 more miles of unauthorized trail. Stick to designated trails, and check SNMBA’s trail conditions page after rain, when the dirt is easy to damage.
Season and heat
SNMBA lists October through May as the best season. The NPS warns that summer temperatures regularly pass 100°F. There’s no shade and no water on the trails, so carry everything you’ll drink. Wild horses and burros live here; give them room.
Group ride
Giant Las Vegas lists a Tuesday night ride at 7 p.m. on the Cottonwood Valley trails from Blue Diamond. It splits into a fast group riding 12 to 15 miles and a casual group riding 8 to 12, takes about two hours, and is no-drop. The shop says it isn’t for beginners, and lights are required. See all rides on the group rides page.
Rentals
Trek runs a rental center in the village of Blue Diamond, a few minutes from the trails. Check what it rents on the bike shops page before you count on a mountain bike.
Other SNMBA trail systems
SNMBA also stewards Sloan Canyon in Henderson, reached from the McCullough Hills Trailhead off Las Palmas Entrada Avenue. It lists November through April as Sloan’s best season and notes vault toilets but no water.