Who goes to Vegas to hike? This guy! When I booked my trip to Vegas I knew the ladyfriend and I would need our nature fix at some point. I thought about going to the Western side of the Grand Canyon or Red Rock Canyon but settled on this instead. Boy I'm glad we did.
The Historic Railroad Trail is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and goes from the Alan Bible Visitor's Center at Lake Mead to the Hoover Dam. Each way is a 4 mile walk along an old railroad track that I believe was built to bring supplies to the construction of the Hoover Dam. Anywho, the trail leads you through 5 or 6 really cool dynamite blasted tunnels in the mountain. It's a 1 mile walk from the parking lot to the 1st tunnel. The entire walk has the spectacular view that is Lake Mead. There are also a bunch of signs along the walk giving you a little history of the area.
We did the hike in December and it was in the 30's when we started. It warmed up to the 50's for the hike back so it was pleasant. There are signs everywhere saying do not hike this in the summer as temps get upwards of 110 degrees. You should probably listen. Also they lock the gates at sundown so unless you want to do some rock climbing don't wait until the end of the day.
Instead of driving directly to the Hoover Dam, stop at the Alan Bible Visitor's Center, get a hiking map, park in the lot at the trailhead, then get your walk on. There are plenty of benches to sit and take a break or to just relax and take in the view.