Four years ago, the idea for an off-road park on federal land in Clark County was approved by Congress.
On Tuesday, the Clark County Commission ratified a deal with Nellis Air Force Base to develop the 1,000-acre park.
Hardcore off-roaders—and they don’t call it "off-road" anymore, they call it off-highway—might find it strange that they need a park to do what they’ve done freely for decades.
Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick spent many hours working out the deal with Nellis. She said that as development has pushed out places that people used to ride are gone.
She said the deal will allow the county to put in much-needed services like bathrooms and parking lots. It will also start the process of mapping current trails and marking new ones.
“We really lacked that ability [to map trails] in Nevada because for many years you just rode wherever,” Kirkpatrick said.
She said she would like to be more like Utah where off-highway trails are marked and mapped.
The idea is that with mapped trails off-roaders will stay clear of delicate habitat.
“They want to go in the right spot we just don’t have them designated yet,” the commissioner said.
The agreement also puts into place protocols for evacuating the park during an emergency at Nellis Air Force Base.
“We want to protect their airspace and we want to protect their training,” she said.
The agreement with Nellis is just the first step. Kirkpatrick said there is more to work out including what to do with another 9,000 acres designated in the agreement.
Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Commissioner District B, Clark County Commission
