Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park

The Colorado River Greenway Heritage Park (abbreviated CRGHP) is the trail network in the open spaces abutting the west shore of the Colorado River where the southernmost tip of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area touches the northernmost tip of the Laughlin strip. It is a land preserved for generations at the southern boundary of the Mojave Desert where wildlife live and play. With its remarkable wildlife, a hike in the CRGHP is a walk on the wild side of Laughlin. On a recent Sunday I spent time on the wild side of Laughlin.
The best way to describe CRGHP is to visualize a commercialized Laughlin with resorts and businesses and a preserved Laughlin with creosote hills, cacti, and open spaces. Nevada State Route 163 is the east to west asphalt line separating the two portions of Laughlin. The Colorado River separating Nevada from Arizona is the east boundary. It is a boundary guaranteeing the hiker constant views of the Colorado River. The Davis Dam that engineering marvel that holds back Lake Mojave is the northernmost landmark and boundary. The open spaces of the Mojave Desert are the invisible boundary to the west. CRGHP is a network of trails. The primary trail is the Riverwalk Exploration Trail. This is the trail that I hiked.
The way I experienced it, the Riverwalk Exploration Trail is the Riverwalk north. Nevada State Route 163 is the northernmost point of the Laughlin Riverwalk. What is missing are signs directing hikers to the Riverwalk Exploration Trail that follows approximately 2 ½ miles of the Colorado River shoreline north of State Route 163. If your unfamiliar with the Riverwalk Exploration Trail, the best way to reach it is to park at the Riverside Casino. Then you want to walk through the casino, go up the escalator before crossing over Casino Drive into Casino West. Now outside the casino you want to walk north alongside Casino Drive crossing the signaled intersection. The trailhead is to the left.
The Riverwalk Exploration Trail begins inland. It climbs up a small hill approaching the attractive graffiti-​free bridge across State Route 163. You have entered the wild side of Laughlin as you enter the southernmost boundary of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The asphalt path becomes windy as it follows the contours of the landscape. The Colorado River emerges from the hills. After a rest area with restrooms, tables, and kiosks; it follows the Colorado River up to the Pyramid Canyon Recreation Area. Hiking due north it is a moving postcard of desert hillsides and the Colorado River. Across the river are the sights and sounds of a beach. The cigar boats roaring along the Colorado River break up the soundtrack of the desert. At intermittent points along the trail, kiosks teach hikers about desert wildlife 101. As the trail reaches further away from the Laughlin skyline Davis Dam gets larger and larger with each step forward. There are junctions with spur trails reaching to the river and hiking trails into the desert. About halfway into the trail, an amphitheater makes for a nice stop. The topography is primarily flat and asphalt. The Riverwalk portion of it is actually the former North Casino Drive. An interesting fact is that before Don Laughlin developed Laughlin, the way into Laughlin from Bullhead City was to drive over Davis Dam onto North Casino Drive. The further north the trail travels it looks as if it will end at Davis Dam. The scenery is amazing. The Riverwalk Exploration Trail never touches Davis Dam. It turns left into the Pyramid Canyon Recreation where it ends in a grassy oasis of picnic tables and a splash pad overlooking Davis Dam. This is a nice spot to stop, listen, and corraborate.
The walk toward Laughlin is just as enjoyable. Similar to many hikes, the walk back seems to go by faster. And it was on this very walk back that I encountered a yellow snake. I respected the snake as it slithered into a rocky area. With this in mind, watch out for snakes and try not to put your hand on a rock where you cannot see it. As my steps toward Laughlin progressed, the skyline became bigger and bigger. The hike concludes with a grand view of the Laughlin skyline.
This could be the beginning of a follow-​up adventure. If you haven’t been on the Laughlin Riverwalk or just want to keep on hiking, I’d recommend following your footsteps through the Riverside onto the Riverwalk a walking path that celebrates the Colorado River and Laughlin casinos. And if your tired, Laughlin is an appropriate place for a celebratory toast. With that said, I toast CRGHP 4 stars with this review.

Nice Park for bike riding