More than just a walkabout

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The valley may be famous for its heat, but the Henderson area should be known for its great outdoors.

Too hot out there to go play in the sun, you say? It can be when it's the middle of summer, but the gorgeous days of spring set the perfect temperature for enjoying the local scenery, whether you go by foot, bike or horseback.

Whatever mode you choose, the time is right, so get outside. Below is a short list of activities that will help you get started on your spring adventures.

Henderson Parks

Everyone knows Henderson has parks. But what you may not know is just how many different amenities these parks offer. Here are some of the highlights.

Acacia Park (50 Casa Del Fuego St.) This 18-acre park features a lighted baseball field, lighted multipurpose fields, water play area, a dog park and a demonstration garden.

Randy Slater, a parks and facilitation maintenance coordinator for aquatics for the city of Henderson, said Acacia Park's water play area features in-ground spray geysers that run on a computer programmed cycle to create the look of "dancing water."

Slater said all of the water play areas in the city's parks are built on multicolored, cushioned surfaces.

"There is occasionally some slipping on the surface, but it's cushioned so you sort of bounce," Slater said. "Kids are actually more likely to slip when they're wearing shoes or flip-flops, so it's better to go barefoot."

Acacia Park's 2.8-acre demonstration garden contains 10 different demonstration areas, including an allergy friendly garden, a cactus garden, a Mediterranean garden, gardens for small yards, a wildlife-friendly garden and an outside living and entertaining garden.

Additionally, the turf demonstration area shows different types of grasses that will grow in the Southwest as well as artificial turf, and the dry-wash demonstration area shows how landscape design can trap run-off water and divert it to the plants in a home's yard.

"There are lots of signs posted throughout the demonstration gardens with information about each of the gardens," said Jennifer Magby, recreation coordinator for the city of Henderson's parks and recreation division.

The parks and recreation department also hosts a variety of gardening classes at the Acacia Demonstration Gardens that are free and open to the public.

Classes are listed on the city Web site, or call 267-4000 for information or to volunteer at the garden.

Anthem Hills Park (2256 N. Reunion Drive) Raymond Everhart, a parks coordinator for the Anthem Hills area, said at 55 acres this is one of the city's biggest sports parks, and it includes basketball courts, three baseball fields, volleyball courts, a skateboard park, a roller hockey rink and multipurpose fields, all lighted for evening use.

Hayley Hendricks Park (811 Ithaca Ave.) This 10-acre park features lighted baseball fields, multipurpose fields, lighted volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, a skate park, a dog park and a small water play area.

Slater said the park's water play area has three ground geysers and two palm trees that shoot water, as well as a small circular loop-de-loop for children to crawl through.

Mission Hills Park (551 E. Mission Drive) This 25-acre park is home to two lighted baseball fields, lighted basketball and tennis courts and the city's most intricate water play area.

Slater said the Mission Hills water play area is based on a lagoon, with a dragon and the mast of a sunken ship as its centerpieces. The area also has cannons that pivot and shoot water, and palm trees, a parrot, a flag and a pirate's head that shoot water.

"The water comes from ground geysers and also shoots from objects in the play area," Slater said. "All of the water play features use recirculated water, which is cleaned and then reused like swimming pool water."

Equestrian Park (1200 Equestrian Drive) The most outstanding feature of this 170-acre park is in its name. The only Henderson park to allow horses and ponies in addition to walking and riding trails, Equestrian Park also serves as a trail head to the River Mountains Loop Trail.

When the Loop Trail is completed in 2007, it will be about 35 miles long and will wrap in a loop around the River Mountains, connecting areas of Henderson, Boulder City, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Hoover Dam.

Currently about 10 miles of the trail, including the Equestrian Park area, are complete and open to hikers, bikers and equestrian use. No motorized vehicles are allowed.

For more information about the River Mountain Loop Trail, visit www.rivermountainstrail.com.

All city parks are open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily, and water features are operational from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 1 through Sept. 1.

Pets are allowed at city parks but must be on a leash at all times, except when in a dog park facility.

All city parks feature playgrounds, open grass areas, picnic tables and covered picnic shelters.

For more information about Henderson's parks, visit the parks and recreation page at www.cityofhenderson.com.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Most local residents probably know Lake Mead is just east of Henderson. But what they may not know is that the lake itself makes up only about 13 percent of the total area in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Diana Starkus, formerly an outreach specialist for outdoor clothing retailer REI, said while the lake is great for kayaking, canoeing, boating and picnics -- she recommends contacting Desert Adventures (www.desertadventures.com) for canoe, kayak and hiking guides -- the area also offers many free land activities, including guided hikes.

Michelle Riter, an interpretive specialist at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, said in the past three to four years, the parks service has been able to expand its guided hikes thanks to volunteer efforts.

"We tend to do the hikes in fall, winter and spring, and we sometimes lead moonlight hikes at night during the summer," she said.

The guided hikes can range from one to six miles, exploring a variety of the recreation area's natural features, including the old St. Thomas town site, red stone formations and American Indian petroglyphs. During the hikes, guides talk about the geology, history and current conditions of the areas.

A schedule of guided hikes, as well as information about each hike, is available at www.nps.gov/lame/activities.html.

"We do these hikes to give people an opportunity to better understand and explore the area," she said. "We hope that people will learn more about the area and help us care for it."

For more information about the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, visit www.nps.gov/lame.

Lake Las Vegas

Lake Las Vegas resort offers many activities for the springtime. Visitors can rent paddle boats to cruise the man-made lake, play golf or take a stroll through the cobblestone pathways of MonteLago Village.

Clark County Wetlands Park

The Las Vegas Wash was first created to help sustain the growing population in the Las Vegas Valley, and in addition to its practical uses in cleaning and filtering our water, the area provides recreation for hikers and wildlife watchers at the wetlands park.

Located at 7050 Wetlands Park Lane, the park is open daily from dawn to dusk, and the information center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Wetlands Park nature preserve opened in 2001 and features hiking trails and wildlife observation areas. Creatures in the wetlands park include bats, fish, crayfish, beavers, coyote and lizards.

The Wetlands Park also is home to a bird viewing preserve where enthusiasts might see great blue heron, snowy, cattle and great egrets, burrowing owls, black phoebes and western sandpipers.

For more information about the Las Vegas Wash and the Clark County Wetlands Park, visit www.lvwash.org or call the wetlands park information center at 455-7522.

To volunteer, call 259-8100.

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area

The 48,438-acre Sloan Canyon Conservation area, located south of Henderson, was established in 2002 and features wildlife, canyons and American Indian petroglyph sites.

The area is home to birds of prey, bighorn sheep and desert tortoises, and the canyons create both easy walking trails and challenging hikes.

Kirsten Cannon, a public affairs specialist at the Bureau of Land Management, said hiking is allowed throughout the entire Sloan Canyon area, but off-road vehicles, shooting and camping are restricted to certain regions in the conservation area's southern half.

Hiking, bicycling and horseback riding are also encouraged on existing roads and trails throughout the conservation area.

The canyon also contains about 300 rock art panels containing 1,700 petroglyphs and pictographs, some of which are up to 2,000 years old.

"We encourage people to come out and enjoy the rock art, but we ask that people don't touch the art at all," Cannon said. "You're welcome to take pictures and do sketches of the area, but we ask that people not touch the art or do rubbings, because oils from skin will damage the petroglyphs."

For more information about Sloan Canyon, including maps, directions and usage rules, call 515-5000.