Dead Horse Loop Mountain Biking Trail

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3.5 miles

Distance

691 ft

Climb

-403 ft

Descent

00:38:13

Avg time

288 ft

Altitude change

4,431 ft

Altitude min

4,833 ft

Altitude max

4,455 ft

Altitude start

4,744 ft

Altitude end

1.563%

Grade

-18.587%

Grade max

19.167%

Grade min

2 miles

Distance climb

1 mile

Distance down

1,083 ft

Distance flat

00:38:13

Avg time

Dead Horse Loop Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

Cottonwood Valley
Las Vegas, Nevada
Difficulty Rating

Blue Rate
Local Popularity
85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 80 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
Global Ranking
#63621 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #109676 in Trail Running
- #206451 in Hiking
State Ranking
#321 in Mountain Biking · Nevada [+]
- #581 in Trail Running
- #1,086 in Hiking
Trail Type

Singletrack
Direction

Both Directions
Popular Direction Shown
Climb Difficulty

Blue
Physical Rating

Easy
Dogs Allowed

Yes

This trail is best ridden from the Parking lot, as it's easy to get lost coming from 3 mile smile the 1st time. This is the most common route which keeps you mostly on singletrack without grinding on double track.

Trail Supporters

BLM
Land Manager
USFS
Land Manager

Local Trail Association

Southern Nevada Mountain Biking Association
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trail development & maintenance.
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

2 rides
10 miles average

6 Months

33 rides
17 miles avg distance

All

354 rides
Last: Oct 25, 2026

update trails status or condition

Dead Horse Loop Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Feb 28, 2025 @ 1:56pm Feb 28, 2025
	Nov 5, 2024 @ 7:37am Nov 5, 2024
	Dec 23, 2023 @ 11:18pm Dec 23, 2023
	Nov 19, 2023 @ 2:10am Nov 19, 2023
	May 27, 2023 @ 1:15am May 27, 2023	Rocks rideable

Routes with this trail

Redhawk's Red Canyon

★ 3.7 • 14 miles • 1,573 ft • 5 •

Great loop. Satan's is a climb which is a big grunt but leads to Vegas View and down The Smile and Badger...

103

Redhawk Bonus Loop

★ 2.0 • 28 miles • 2,929 ft • 12 •

Add on loop to make a more fun route of deadhorse+3 mile. Good elevation with some easy pedaling to end on.

3.5 ★★★★★

14 Ratings

5 ★ 14%

4 ★ 29%

3 ★ 50%

2 ★ 7%

1 ★

7 Reviews & Comments

Score Time Post Comment

davidsoutside Dec 31, 2024 at 17:37

As other have mentioned, the beginning of this trail is what I label “exceptionally unfun.” The soil composition sucks, the trail is super boring with annoying rock gardens thrown in, its mostly uphill, the views are comparatively boring, etc. and then when you get into the junipers and red clay before Satans escalator it gets fun. If you just want to do 3 Mile, I’d take the fire road up from the upper parking lot honestly.

AndrewcIKetR Oct 3, 2024 at 14:55

Easy trail with lots of great scenery. And there was actually a rotting horse corpse on the side of the trail today, so now you know how it got its name!(?)

bizango-x Apr 4, 2024 at 8:21

Not that bad. It is chunky but was expecting worse. We rode it as a climb. I liked going up this, doing the upper loop sections to the view point, then down three mile smile.

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Nearby Trails

Cottonwood Valley

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Frequently Asked Questions

▼ Where is Dead Horse Loop located?

Dead Horse Loop is located in Cottonwood Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is part of the Cottonwood Valley trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 35.99516, -115.45386.

▼ How hard is Dead Horse Loop?

Dead Horse Loop is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Easy. The average grade is 1.563%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.

▼ What is the elevation gain for Dead Horse Loop?

Dead Horse Loop has 691 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 403 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 4,431 ft to 4,833 ft.

▼ Is Dead Horse Loop a point to point trail?

Dead Horse Loop is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.

▼ How long is Dead Horse Loop?

Dead Horse Loop is 3.5 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.

▼ Are dogs allowed on Dead Horse Loop?

Yes, dogs are allowed on Dead Horse Loop. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.

▼ How do I access Dead Horse Loop? Where is the closest parking trailhead?

The closest parking and trailhead locations to Dead Horse Loop are:

Cottonwood Trailhead (2,223 ft away)
Dead Horse Treailhead (2,251 ft away)
3 Mile Smile Trailhead (3,832 ft away)

View all parking locations in the area.

▼ How long does it take to ride Dead Horse Loop?

Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 38 minutes to ride Dead Horse Loop. The trail is 3.5 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.

▼ How busy is Dead Horse Loop?

Dead Horse Loop is a very popular trail. There have been 1,687 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 1,634 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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Dead Horse Loop