New 40-acre park will be playground for off-road vehicles

Members of the Pahrump Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Park Advisory Committee dug in their golden shovels March 19 to break ground for a new 40-acre park for off-road vehicles and outdoor activities located at the fairgrounds off Highway 160 near Dandelion Street.

The park will be constructed in phases and will feature baseball fields, an equestrian area, a track for radio-controlled devices and a track for off-road vehicles that should debut sometime next year, according to local officials.

“I want to do it for the kids,” said Jimmy Lewis , chair of the Pahrump OHV Park Advisory Committee. “We’re all kids when we get on our OHVs … the idea is we want to have opportunities for everybody.”

First on the agenda is to fence off the land and build a berm around the 40 acres to soundproof the area, according to Nye County Commissioner Debra Strickland. There’s already a bulldozer on the land and a water truck moving dirt around.

The build will take roughly a year to finish because much of the labor will come from volunteers, but everyone would like to see the track open sooner.

“With a project like this we can’t have too many volunteers,” said Brad Harris, co-chair of the OHV committee. “If there’s anything, I would like volunteers to help out.”

The off-road park will provide a safe environment for people to learn how to use all-terrain vehicles and for those that want to ride around a designated track.

“The worst thing you can think of is your kid goes into the desert and gets hurt,” Harris said.

Off-road riding is a rough sport, Harris said, and he would have more peace of mind if his son was riding in a controlled environment. A track is also a safer option for more experienced riders who often explore the desert solo.

“It’s way more dangerous to be out in the desert, than be on the track,” Harris said.

Pahrump locals like their off-road vehicles and like to venture out, he said, but Harris also sees the opportunity for out-of-towners to come to the park and hopefully spend money here.

An OHV registration sticker is required for access. Fees collected from the park’s usage will help support the project.

This month’s groundbreaking was two years in the making.

Bob Adams, the off-road ambassador for Pahrump and Nevada Silver Trails Tourism, managed to secure a grant of $150,000 to support much of the $277,000 project. Nye County was aslo a partner on the project.

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jimi_writes on Twitter.