Paint Box
Drop down Kodachrome Road under the striped face of Frenchman Mountain, then grind back north on Lava Butte Road through the badlands.
Your timesno timed runs yet
Ride mode times every run on its own: the clock starts when you roll out of the start and stops at the finish, with splits at each marked spot. Leave Ride mode on between laps and it re-arms when you're back at the start. Times stay on this phone.
Right now at the trailhead
Get the GPS file
Scan with a friend's phone, or tap below. Then open it in your ride app.
- iPhone: tap Download, open it from the Downloads bar, then Share → Trailforks, Strava or Garmin.
- Android: tap Download, then open the file and pick your app.
- Garmin: or drag it into Garmin Connect → Courses → Import on a computer.
https://bsqrd-designs.com/dirt/paint-box/
Getting there
Park at Rainbow Gardens North Staging Area
E Lake Mead Blvd (SR 147) at Rainbow Gardens Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89156
- BLM dirt pullout on the south side of Lake Mead Blvd, signed for the Sunrise Mountain area. No water, shade or restroom, and car break-ins are reported on this stretch, so leave nothing in sight.
- Start and finish are the same spot. Follow the cue sheet and the arrows on the map.
Cue sheet
| 0.0 | Rainbow Gardens Roaddirt road | 0.3 mi |
| 0.3 | Dirt roaddirt road via Kodachrome Road · Dirt Hollywood Blvd | 9.2 mi |
| 9.5 | South Hollywood Boulevarddirt road | 0.3 mi |
| 9.8 | Dirt roaddirt road via Lava Butte Road · Lava Butte saddle | 7.8 mi |
| 17.7 | Rainbow Gardens Roaddirt road | 0.8 mi |
| 18.5 | Back at Rainbow Gardens North Staging Area |
Know before you go
- This is a dirt-road ride, not singletrack. BLM limits bikes to the approved roads in Rainbow Gardens, so stay on the main tracks and skip the spur lines and washes.
- Kodachrome is mostly a mellow downhill cruise. The work is the climb back up Lava Butte Road, which has a few steep, loose pitches near the saddle.
- OSM leaves Kodachrome and Lava Butte unnamed, so the cue sheet shows them as plain 'Dirt road'. The pins mark the real names.
- Zero shade and no water out there. Ride it in the cool months, carry more water than you think, and skip it after rain, when the clay ruts up.
Ride smart
- Water: plan on about 2.5 L for this ride. There's none on the trail.
- Signal is spotty. Tell someone your route and your time back.
- Emergency: call 911 and say "Paint Box ride, parked at Rainbow Gardens North Staging Area, Rainbow Gardens / Frenchman Mountain", plus the coordinates from Locate me.
- Wildlife: give horses, burros and anything with horns room, and never feed them.
- Stay on trail. Desert crust and mountain soil take decades to heal.
Report a problem or share a photo
Washout, closure, new fence or a missing sign? Got a great shot of a junction? Send it. It goes straight to Ryan; photos he approves show up on this page with your credit.
End ride?
Turn calls, the timer and your recording stop when the ride ends.