Tough Love
Six rough miles of Mother and Ernie's, a lap of Inner Caldera, and the Girl Scout bomb back to the car.
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/tough-love/
Getting there
Park at Bootleg Canyon Park trailhead
Bootleg Canyon Rd, Boulder City, NV 89005
- Free city lot at the foot of the bike park; take Yucca St north off Nevada Way and follow the Bootleg Canyon signs. No water on the trails.
- Start and finish are the same spot. Follow the cue sheet and the arrows on the map.
Cue sheet
| 0.0 | Bootleg Canyon Roaddirt road | 0.2 mi |
| 0.2 | IMBA (Easy)singletrack | 0.9 mi |
| 1.1 | Mother & Ernie's Epic (Difficult)singletrack via Mother & Ernie's · West ridge | 5.0 mi |
| 6.1 | Caldera (Easy)singletrack | 0.5 mi |
| 6.5 | Inner Calderasingletrack | 1.7 mi |
| 8.2 | Girl Scout (Easy)singletrack via Girl Scout descent | 1.5 mi |
| 9.7 | Bootleg Canyon Roaddirt road | 0.2 mi |
| 9.9 | Back at Bootleg Canyon Park trailhead |
Chase it on Strava
- Inner Caldera · Inner Caldera
Know before you go
- Mother is rough, rocky and exposed with steep punchy climbs. Plan on walking a few moves unless you ride chunk for fun.
- IMBA, Mother & Ernie's, Coyote Canyon and Ernie's Extra are tagged one-way in OpenStreetMap; this route runs them in that direction.
- Once you are on Mother there is no quick bailout; it is several miles to the next junction.
- Inner Caldera is rated difficult on MTB Project. Girl Scout at the end is the smoothest mile of the day.
- Heads up: OpenStreetMap and MTB Project ride IMBA uphill, but Trailforks (checked Oct 8, 2026) lists it as downhill-primary. Climb it alert for riders coming down.
Ride smart
- Water: plan on about 1.5 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 "Tough Love ride, parked at Bootleg Canyon Park trailhead, Boulder City / Bootleg Canyon", 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.
Trail photos
End ride?
Turn calls, the timer and your recording stop when the ride ends.