"It can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, but you can still just be within a few minutes of being able to catch I-11." Amie Wojtech, Henderson's park planning manager, said that to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in June. She was describing the city-owned land on Black Mountain, the hillside Ascaya is built against.
Her description also explains what the city is trying to protect. Southern Nevadans have hiked that land for years, mostly on informal "social trails" that nobody planned. Henderson now intends to make those paths official as the Black Mountain Nature Preserve. A few miles south, the Bureau of Land Management is rebuilding the main entrance to Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Together, the two projects mean this fall and winter are the last season of the old trail map behind Ascaya, while it's still unmarked and still detoured.
The Plan Keeps the Paths Already Worn In
The preserve covers 1,300 acres at the southern tip of Henderson. It's paid for by a $5.5 million grant from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, which uses money from federal land sales in the valley to fund conservation and public projects.
The most important detail for people who already hike here is how the trails will be built. "We will be taking advantage of the trails that have been carved out from people just using the area," Wojtech told the Review-Journal. "We'll bring those up to city standards and use those, as opposed to creating new trails."
So the city plans to keep the routes people already know and improve them. The city's project page lists the planned features:
- Natural-surface trails
- A trailhead with parking and a restroom
- Native revegetation
- Interpretive signs
- Scenic overlooks
Doug Prouty, a senior landscape architect at Lage Design, laid out the intent in a letter to city officials that the Review-Journal quoted. He described the preserve as low-impact development that "will protect sensitive plant and animal species while promoting outdoor exploration and learning."
One New Trailhead, Four Connections
The plan adds one new front door. The city's June 8, 2026 design-review submission puts the trailhead at Buckhorn Street and Palisades View Drive. It would have a solar-powered restroom, solar parking lights, shade and seating, recycling, and native, water-efficient landscaping. The plans also include two overlooks.
The preserve is designed to link Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, Hidden Falls Park, the Amargosa Trail and the McCullough Hills Trail. The design submission describes the link to Sloan Canyon as running through the McCullough Hills Trail.
Today those are four separate places, each with its own parking and its own hours. Once the preserve is done, Black Mountain becomes the piece that ties them together. The city's paved trail system would then connect through restored natural-surface paths to a federal conservation area that covers 48,438 acres and forms the southern skyline of Las Vegas and Henderson.
Where to Start a Hike Before Any of That Happens
For now, here are the official access points around the preserve land and their posted hours:
| Access point | Address or location | Posted hours | What it reaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden Falls Park | 281 W. Horizon Dr., Henderson | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. | One of four named Amargosa Trail trailheads |
| Amargosa Trail | Four named trailheads | Lighted trails 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; unlit trails dawn to dusk | A 10-mile, mostly paved city route |
| McCullough Hills Trailhead | 295 Mission Dr., Henderson | Lighted trails 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; unlit trails dawn to dusk | The route the preserve plans tie to Sloan Canyon |
| Sloan Canyon, rerouted access | Parking on Democracy Drive | Petroglyph Canyon 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, October 1 through May 19 | Rerouted Petroglyph Canyon Trail and 101 Trail |
The Sloan Canyon hours matter most this time of year. In summer, from June 1 through September 30, Petroglyph Canyon closes at noon every day. From October through mid-May it stays open until 4:30 p.m. every day. The canyon's best season is also its longest-hours season, so an afternoon walk among the petroglyphs is possible again.
Sloan Canyon's Front Door Is Being Rebuilt
The second change is federal. According to the BLM's Sloan Canyon page, Nawghaw Poa Road and the parking area at its end have been closed since November 12, 2024, for construction of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Contact Station. The posted end of the closure is November 11, 2026. Until then, the Petroglyph Canyon Trail and the 101 Trail follow reroutes from the Democracy Drive parking area.
The closure order temporarily closes about 50 acres of public land, including Nawghaw Poa Road and the construction site. The BLM's 2024 annual report says interpretive exhibits are part of the new station. That fits what the station protects. The Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site has more than 300 rock-art panels and nearly 1,700 designs, made by Native cultures from the Archaic era through historic times.
November 11 is the date printed on the 2024 order. The BLM hasn't announced an opening ceremony or an updated schedule with it, so check the BLM page before driving to the end of Nawghaw Poa Road. The agency also notes that directions to the area change often because of nearby residential construction. Its advice is to search for Nawghaw Poa Road in a map app.
Whatever the new station adds, Petroglyph Canyon still allows no more than 20 people at a time, to protect the wilderness character of the North McCullough Wilderness. That's the 14,790-acre volcanic area inside the conservation area, where lava flows, ash falls and glassy zones are visible in the rock. The BLM also says parking at the visitor contact station is limited and may close temporarily on busy weekends and holidays. It encourages groups to contact Sloan Canyon staff before arriving, and to consider joining a BLM guided hike led by an interpretive ranger.
For anyone living on this side of Henderson, the takeaway is simple. The canyon gets a new visitor contact station with interpretive exhibits, but limited parking and the 20-person cap still control who gets in. Arriving early on a weekday will matter after the reopening just as it does now.
The Calendar From Here
Taken in order, the dates show how the hills behind Ascaya move from the current setup to the new one:
- Now through November 11, 2026: Sloan Canyon access runs through Democracy Drive parking on the rerouted Petroglyph Canyon and 101 trails. Petroglyph Canyon is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
- November 11, 2026: The posted end of the Nawghaw Poa Road closure, if construction finishes on schedule. Confirm with the BLM first.
- Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026: Petroglyph Canyon and the visitor contact station run holiday hours, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Christmas Day, December 25, 2026: Holiday hours shift to 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Early 2027: The target start of construction on the Black Mountain Nature Preserve, which was still in design as of the June reporting.
- By the end of 2027: When Wojtech told the Review-Journal she hopes the city can officially open the preserve.
The preserve dates are targets, not commitments. The city's design submission went to staff review on June 18, 2026, and the city's project page is the place to watch for the next step. On the Sloan Canyon side, the closure order's posted end date of November 11 is less than three weeks away, but the BLM has not announced when the new station will open.
The trails on Black Mountain have been shaped by years of hikers' footsteps, and soon they'll have signs, overlooks and a trailhead at Buckhorn Street. If you own a home along this hillside edge of Henderson and wonder how a protected, connected trail system next door could figure into its value, LeBo Luxury can walk you through it. Request a Complimentary Luxury Home Valuation, and Bryan Lebo will prepare a valuation that looks at what's beyond your back wall as well as the house itself.
