Bootleg Canyon - POW and Mother Trail - Boulder City, NV

Bootleg Canyon - POW and Mother Trail - Boulder City, NV


Bootleg Canyon is only 30 minutes from Henderson, NV in Boulder City. You can actually hike the trails that start in Henderson and hike up to Boulder city. These are mountain bike trails and you must watch out for bikers and get off the trail so they can pass.  Also try not to knock rocks down into the trails because they can be hazardous to bikers.

I started this hike at the trailhead near the Veterans Memorial Hospital. I followed the POW trail to the Mother trail going towards and behind the golf course which took about an hour to an hour and a half because I stopped a lot for pictures. I found a lone bighorn that didn't seem afraid of my presence. I was able to film it with my long lens with no problem. The bighorn sheep have been experiencing a decline because a pneumonia virus. This may be why this ewe seemed to be all by herself. The footage and stills were all filed within the three hours that I was on the trail this morning.

Bootleg Canyon - Boulder City, Nevada

Bootleg Canyon - Boulder City

Bighorn sheep watching us from West Leg trail near Bootleg Wash in the River Mountains.

Bootleg Canyon Bighorn sheep location.

Watch a video I made of Bootleg Canyon and the Bighorn Sheep

Bootleg Canyon is an internationally famous mountain biking area. Bikers have the right-of-way. Always be aware of bikers on the trails and get off the trail when they are coming so they don't have to stop. Most of the trails are very narrow, often on steep cliffs and the bikers cannot stop easily. 

View of Las Vegas in the background. You can see Las Vegas, Lake Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City from Bootleg Canyon.

There are many trailheads and trails that go into Bootleg Canyon. We parked at the trailhead near the Veterans Memorial Hospital and took the POW trail up towards the mountains. See a map of the Canyon for more details. There are many trails in the area and it can get confusing which one you are actually on especially if you go off trail. Some of the trails are marked but others aren't.

The trails go from Boulder City to Henderson. To make it easier, you can use two cars and just hike from Boulder City down to Henderson where you have a second car.