After narrowly escaping abandonment in December 2018, the Southside Trailhead project is now complete and opening ceremonies are planned for Sunday, May 5, to coincide with the festivities at the Wild West Extravaganza.
“The Southside Trailhead will open Sunday, May 5, at 8 a.m. as part of the Wild West Extravaganza,” a news release from Nye County announced. “The event will begin with an opening ceremony that will include Nye County Commissioner Debra Strickland and representatives of the Pahrump Public Lands Advisory Committee, as well as representatives from area organizations.”
Strickland saved the project from being deserted by the town after she was elected to the commission post last year. As a commissioner, Strickland also sits as a member of the governing body for the town of Pahrump and one of her first decisions after the general election was to take up the Southside Trailhead and see it through.
Formerly proposed as the “bridal path” project, the trailhead was put forward by Linda Hatley, a former member of the Pahrump Public Lands Advisory Committee. At the time, Hatley said she had noticed that those utilizing the many trails on the southern end of town were often parking their vehicles and trailers on private land, so she proposed the town create a formal parking area and trailhead to provide for the obvious need.
The project received approval in June 2016 with $10,000 in town monies allocated to fund a volunteer force to construct the trailhead on five acres of county-owned land.
However, over time the project seemed to lose momentum and began to languish. More than two years after receiving approval, the county commission was set to consider a vote to abandon the project. That was when Strickland stepped in to halt that action. Working with the Pahrump Public Lands Advisory Committee, Strickland managed to successfully revive the project and she is more than delighted to see the vision of a trailhead finally realized.
The opening ceremonies will take place at the trailhead at 9301 S. Homestead Road.
As part of the grand opening of the Southside Trailhead, there will be a Pony Express Trail Ride at the conclusion of the ceremonies on May 5. Following the trail ride, off-highway vehicles will have their turn. These are scheduled to hit the trail at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
“We’re looking forward to doing more trailheads to interconnect throughout the Pahrump Valley,” said Strickland, an original founder of the Pony Express Trail Ride.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com