By Cimarron Chacon
Beatty, Nevada is located about 100 miles Northwest of Las Vegas on NV State Route 95. The area surrounding the small town is known as the Oasis Valley for its lush natural springs, and is nestled between Death Valley National Park and the Nevada Test Site. The rough and rugged history of the area is full of stories of hardship and determination. It is legendary for two major industries; gold mining and prostitution. Both are now gone.
With the end of an era, a local group is determined once again to build Beatty into new legend, as a mountain bike mecca. Not since the making of Moab, has there been a place and a time so right to forge a recreation destination out of the ashes of a busted mining town. Beatty has all the perfect ingredients; pleasant year around temperatures, gorgeous scenery, abundant wildlife, and wide open spaces perfect for building trails.
The non-profit, Trails-OV (OV stands for Oasis Valley), who is spearheading the efforts, has produced a number of wicked awesome trails in just a short time. They broke ground on the first trails Valentine’s Day. The first 7 miles of trail are purpose built for mountain bikes on a private ranch just north of the town center. The Spicer Ranch is a true desert oasis. When you ride any of the 4 trails you will travel pass lush meadows with horses running and fresh ponds with abundant water fowl, you will climb to the top of peaks that overlook the valley and provide far off vista, and you will experience the true sights and sounds of a working ranch.
The trails opened to the public on May 2nd with a boot stomping, gunslinging, romping great time of a grand opening festival. Black Ops helicopters, prostitutes, beer and tacos were among the many things found at the Beatty Beer and Taco Fest Trails Grand Opening Celebration.
The 1st Annual Beatty Beer and Taco Fest was a huge success. The event was free to all who wanted to come and experience a new riding venue. The ranch opened a huge public parking area just in time for the event and camping was free — complete with showers. The festival started with a big cowboy breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Mountain bikers from Nevada, Utah and California all gathered in excitement and anticipation for the ribbon cutting and a taste of the fresh dirt.
