Last year, Dustin showed me a video of this little rail bike you can ride on that runs on the train tracks. He excitedly told me that we should do that. It looks super fun and unique so of course, we looked into how to go about it. Luckily, we found Rail Explorers, a company near Las Vegas, Nevada that offered the experience. Next thing we know, we booked our trip there. Only a 20 minute drive from Las Vegas, Rail Explorers offers exciting guided rail bike rides along the same tracks used during the construction of the Hoover Dam. Your ticket also included a free visit to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Also, the rail-bike tours with Rail Explorers are perfect for children and families of all ages!
Stats
Where
Rail Explorers Las Vegas Division
601 Yucca St, Boulder City, NV 89005
Tour Options
Rail Explorers in Las Vegas has many options, starting from $90 for a tandem rail bike (price includes 2 people) or $160 for a quad (price includes 4 people). All the tours are about 1.5 hours. Most tours are out and back, a total of 8 miles. If you want to bike out and take the train back, you should go with the Southwest Ramble. This tour is only available when the train is running so make sure to double check. For more info or to book the tours, check out their website.
Restroom
Yes, near the entrance
Who Can Ride the Railbike?
This adventure is for almost everyone. Children must be accompanied by a rider at least 16 years of age. Infants must be secured in a chest harness to an adult rider.
Distance
4 miles each way
Level
Easy. The bikes have pedal-assisted motor.
Time
1.5 hour for the tour. We recommend getting there early to check out the museum
Pet-friendly
Dogs are permitted but their safety and control is your responsibility. There is a limit of one dog per railbike.
Ideal Time
Nov through April are the best month to go since it’s cooler. If you go on the other months, you can try to do the sunset or night tours.
Weather
Video
About Rail Explorers
It was kind of funny to learn that Rail Explorers was inspired by a scene in a Korean drama since Vy also watches them from time to time. Apparently, Mary Joy Lu (who started Rail Explorers with her husband Alex Catchpoole) was watching her favorite K-Dramas when she saw a strange bike being pedaled along the railroad tracks. Intrigued, Mary Joy got on a plane to South Korea to meet with the designer and manufacturers of the rail bike. The rest is history.
Rail Explorers began its first tour on July 3, 2015, in New York’s Adirondacks. The response was so overwhelming that soon after, they expanded their operations to Delaware, Rhode Island, New York’s Catskill Mountains, and of course, Las Vegas. Rail Explorers offer different tours depending on the locations. For the Las Vegas location, you can choose your favorite tour here.
The Adventure
Getting There
Your adventure with Rail Explorers starts at Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City.
- If you’re coming from Las Vegas, take I-215 E for 11.5 miles.
- Then, merge onto I-11 S toward Boulder City.
- After right around 7.9 miles, take the exit for US-93 Business/Boulder City Pkwy.
- Continue onto Boulder City Pkwy for 2.8 miles.
- Then, turn left onto Yucca St.
- Once you get near the train track, you should see a sign for Nevada State Railroad Museum. Turn in there and you will find the parking lot.
Check-in Process
The check-in process for your rail bike ride with Rail Explorers Las Vegas is really simple and the same for all the tours. You should be there at least 20 minutes prior to your tour to check-in. After parking, go to the first ticket kiosk that has Rail Explorers’ logo on it and tell the attendant that you’re checking in. If you see Angel, make sure to say hi. He was super sweet! If you’re planning to do the later tour, we recommend getting there earlier so you’ll have time to check out the free train museum before your rail bike ride. It is super neat.
As for the tour options, Rail Explorers offer many choices, although they might not be available depending on the date you plan on going. Most of them will require you to pedal to the end and back. If you prefer to bike there and take the train back, you can do the Southwest Ramble. However, this tour is only available on the weekend, so make sure to double-check. If you can, we definitely recommend the Southwest Ramble because you get the best of both worlds, a rail bike ride there, AND a train ride back.
The Train Museum
As we mentioned above, don’t forget to leave some extra time to check out this free train museum. It opens daily from 9 am – 3:30 pm, however, is subject to staffing availability. It was super cool to see all the vintage trains lined up side by side. My favorite was being able to learn about how the Railway Mail Service revolutionized the way mail was processed by sorting mail aboard moving trains. It was so interesting to learn how they use the “mail on-the-fly” system to grab and drop mail without having to stop the train. It was really neat!
We were also lucky enough to be able to check out the model train displays. Dustin used to have model trains when he was little so he was super excited. And rightly so! The displays are amazing! You can tell how much work has been put into it. And the volunteers there were really nice and knowledgeable. We spent over 30 minutes just looking over all the little details in the displays.
The Rail Bike Ride: The Start
After spending time at the train museum, it was almost time for our scheduled rail bike tour. We quickly joined our 3:30pm group at the platform. Soon, the guides joined us to go over how the bikes work as well as the safety procedures and such. We were happy to learn that the bikes are equipped with pedal assist. This means you don’t have to work as hard. However, the person that is seated on the front right seat has to keep pedaling to engage the pedal-assist motor. Also, the rail bikes are hands free. This means you have a free hand to take photos, and videos or just enjoy a quick snack as you pedal along. The only exception to this is when you need to apply the brakes. The person in the front right seat does this by squeezing a small lever similar to a bicycle brake.
Once the guides finished with their instructions, we went to find our bike. In the beginning, all the bikes are linked together. For legal reasons, we had to start at the same time. As soon as we pedaled past Yucca Street, the guides unlinked our bikes. Then, one by one, they helped take our photos, made sure we understood the safety and precautions, and then sent us on our way, separately from the other bikes.
The Rail Bike Ride: En Route
It was interesting pedaling along the old train track that was used during the construction of the Hoover Dam. The track runs along US-93 and offers unique views of the desert landscape. It can get hot depending on when you go. This is why Rail Explorers Las Vegas included an umbrella on your rail bike if you want some shade. It’s also good to make sure to bring some water with you. Even though it is only 4 miles each way, it can be exhausting in the heat. We lucked out with the weather but it still got a bit warm with all of our vigorous pedaling. Although you don’t have to pedal as fast, we were a bit competitive. The people behind us were quite fast so we didn’t want them to catch up to us. At one point, we reached a top speed of 16 mph.
About halfway, you might see George, whom the guides and volunteers affectionately called the official greeter of the track. He lives on the side of the track and waves to everyone that passes by. Make sure to say hi to George! Once we curved past the Railroad Pass Hotel, we saw a cute little picnic area on the right-hand side. This is the end of the road. We slowed down and stopped after the bike in front of us and got out. The picnic area is decorated with red Adirondack chairs and fire pits. It is quite cute. This is where you would wait for the train or hang out before biking back.
The Train Ride
Since we chose the Southwest Ramble tour, we got to take the train ride back. I love train rides. There is something unique about them. If you want, you can ask the attendant if you can ride on the caboose. They are super nice about it. However, three are only 4 seats on the caboose, so they might be unavailable. If that is the case, we recommend the outdoor section of the train. It’s more fun because you get to look out to the open windows and really experience that train ride.
If you want to ride the train separately, they do offer different options. You have to buy the tickets separately from Rail Explorers though. It is inside the little gift shop once you go past the ticket kiosk for Rail Explorers. For more info, you can check it out on their website.
We had a blast with Rail Explorers. Not only was the rail bike super unique, but we also got to see the educational train museum and got to ride the train, all included in our tickets, and it’s just a short drive from Las Vegas. If you’re visiting Las Vegas, or on your way to Hoover Dam, don’t forget to check this place out. It is so worth it! We can’t wait to bring our parents and friends back for this adventure! If you love train tracks and tunnels, check out the Historic Railroad Tunnel Hike near Hoover Dam. Also, if you’re up for an adventure, Gold Strike Hot Springs is definitely not for the faint of heart!
These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING
- Comfortable clothing that you would wear for hiking or cycling. Make sure to check the weather so you can dress appropriately.
- Closed toed shoes are recommended.
- Hat and sunglass. It gets warm out there.
- Sunscreen. We use eco-friendly sunscreen Stream2Sea SPF 30 and All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
- Water. It is a short ride but it can be warm.
- Always good to bring some snacks with you. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.
camera gear
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One Comment
Pit
How very interesting! My wife and I did a railbike ride out of Carson City last year, and enjoyed it very much – well, my wife enjoyed it more than me, actually, as it was a tad too exhausting for me. Your article here comes at an opportune moment as I might possibly be in Boulder City in June, to ride the Historic Railroad Track, after pciking up a new e-bike in Pahrump. I might add another day in Boulder City to do the railbiking.
Btw, you’ll find my post about the day of our ride here:
https://pitsfritztownnews.wpcomstaging.com/2022/02/05/california-and-elsewhere-17-day-11-railbiking-into-carson-canyon/
In that post, there’s a link to my video of the ride, which is definitey not as yours. I enjoyed yours a lot.
Best and Happy Easter,
Pit