Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area
Managed by Nevada State Parks
1,376 acres3.5 mi of trail
Big Sandy LoopConservation TrailSandy LoopRiverside Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Laughlin
More than half of Laughlin’s land is conserved: 53%
53% of Laughlin’s land is conserved, about 5,489 acres. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Laughlin, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area (3.5 mi), Big Bend Conservation Area (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #10 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Conserved land
53%
5,489 acres · of 16.3 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
233 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 9 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Laughlin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Laughlin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Laughlin is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #10 of 42 in Nevada. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Laughlin’s overall grade.
Conserved land53% of the land · typical NV town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · NV 2.0 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (233 acres) · NV 6 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · NV 74% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
Nevada towns of 2,500+ (42)Ahead of 78%
Water is 6% of Laughlin’s area (1 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 50%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Bend Conservation Area
Nature preserve
35 acres0.7 mi of trail
Conservation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
William Bennett Park
Park
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
5,489 conserved acres
53% of Laughlin’s land. Water is left out: Laughlin has 16.3 square miles of land and 1.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Laughlin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Bureau of Land Management2,108 ac
Bureau of Reclamation1,940 ac
State parks1,388 ac
County247 ac
National Park Service2 ac
National Public Lands · 2,108 acFederal Other or Unknown · 1,940 acState Park · 1,388 acLocal Park · 243 acLocal Other or Unknown · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 2,108 | Open |
| Parker-davis Project Federal Other or Unknown | Bureau of Reclamation | 1,940 | Unknown |
| Big Bend of the Colorado State Park State Park | State parks | 1,388 | Restricted |
| Mountain View Park Local Park | County | 139 | Open |
| Laughlin Local Park | County | 73 | Open |
| Clark County Parks & Rec Local Park | County | 20 | Open |
| William Bennett Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Laughlin Government Center Local Other or Unknown | County | 4 | Unknown |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 2 | Open |
Things to do
21 places to go in Laughlin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Laughlin
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Laughlin
North Pool
DirectionsNorth Tower Family Pool
DirectionsSouth Pool
DirectionsSouth Tower Adults-Only Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Laughlin
1 playground without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Laughlin
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Laughlin
9 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Laughlin
Wildlife Viewing AreaIn Big Bend Conservation Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Laughlin
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Laughlin
1st come 1st servedIn Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area
DirectionsBig Bend of the Colorado CampgroundIn Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Desert Trail1.2 mi
Big Sandy Loop1.1 mi
Cougar Spur Trail0.8 mi
Conservation Trail0.7 mi
NN0300.5 mi
Old Laughlin Highway0.2 mi
Sandy Loop0.2 mi
Riverside Loop0.2 mi
Swift Water Trail0.1 mi
High Desert Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Tennis
5Basketball
4Baseball
3Pickleball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Laughlin
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 65 | 69 | 78 | 86 | 95 | 106 | 110 | 109 | 102 | 89 | 74 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
June is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 110 °F). 1.1 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 110 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Laughlin →
Next door
Laughlin and its neighbors
Laughlin has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laughlin | 53% | 0.9 | 27 | 47% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Laughlin
Where can I hike in Laughlin?
The longest trail networks: Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, 3.5 miles; Big Bend Conservation Area, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Laughlin is conserved land?
53% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Nevada town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Laughlin’s trails?
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area and Big Bend Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Laughlin?
93,415 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Laughlin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,352 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Laughlin have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 of 42 in Nevada. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Laughlin neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →