BOULDER CITY, Nev. (KLAS) — Just a short drive from downtown Boulder City is the Nevada Southern Railway and the Nevada State Railway Museum. The rail line was constructed by the Union Pacific Railroad to service the Boulder Dam Project.

The Rail Explorers: A Pedal Powered Rail Bike has become quite a destination now for a fun outdoor activity, and it’s just 30 minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip. It’s a bike ride down train tracks.

“My inner child is going crazy right now,” said Ryan Brown, visitor. “I used to love trains.”

“We’re gonna have so much fun today,” said Noah Vontalge, visitor.

“I just want to be able to make it back,” said Kim Werhane, visitor.

The hour and a half excursion promises the magic of the railroad and nature, but it also offers a bit of history.

“We had a 95-year-old lady who was in charge of the brake, and she goes I’m pedaling this thing,” said Leslie Roszyk-Stephenson, Division Manager for Rail Explorers. “And I said, ‘you go!'”

At the Rail Explorers, there are three tours to choose from: Daytime, sunset, or an evening ride under the shining stars.

“You don’t really get to see all the stars in Vegas because it’s so bright,” Roszyk-Stephenson said.

The journey takes you on the same tracks that were used for the construction of the Hoover Dam back in the 1930s during the great depression.

“Then after we have the picnic area — the historic Boulder City train that used to take everybody to the Hoover Dam — — all the workers, all the supplies — that train comes to pick you up, and then you get to take the ride back,” Roszyk-Stephenson said.

The ride back to the train station is in an open-air car, and yes, COVID-19 procedures are in place.

“I’m also the COVID lady, so we do the check-in, and we have a couple of questions to ask,” said Roszyk-Stephenson. “We have hand sanitizers. They disinfect the bike, we disinfect the chairs, we disinfect the train, the restrooms between each tour.”

“I’ve never done something like this before at all,” Isabel Brown, a visitor said.
“Decided to celebrate our anniversary tonight: our 12 year anniversary,” Kimberly Pham, visitor.

Pricing for ‘The Rail Explorers: A Pedal Powered Rail Bike’ starts at $85. Locals will get a 10% discount.