Las Vegas, Univ. of Nevada Running Route

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Length: 7 km (4.3 miles), terrain flat

Las Vegas Running Routes:
The Strip  
Downtown  
University of Nevada
Red Rock Canyon
White Domes, Valley of Fire 
Fire Wave, Valley of Fire

For more running routes, see the Route List page.
 
If you've already run the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) in Las Vegas a few times (see article, Las Vegas, the Strip Route), you might be ready for a change of scenery. If you are located at the north end of the Strip, meaning anywhere north of Sahara Avenue, there are quiet residential neighborhoods to the east where you can easily wind your own way up and down the various streets: see the Downtown running link above.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
But most hotels are located at the south end of the Strip, and there are no quiet residential neighborhoods around at all. The side streets aren't very interesting for running: most side streets towards the west are concrete canyons, and some, like Flamingo Road, are 10 lanes wide! Also to the west, you quickly hit the I-15 freeway, so there is only one choice if you want a quieter neighborhood: head east to the University of Nevada campus.

Campus walkways in the evening twilight

The campus is a mile (1.6 km) east of the Strip, going out Harmon Avenue. You can also get there by running east on Flamingo Road or Tropicana Avenue, which run along the north- and south-edges of the campus, but these are both busier streets than Harmon, so that's the route we'll try here.

The University of Nevada Campus Route
Start out at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, at Planet Hollywood and the Harley Davidson Café. Just run straight east on this very unscenic road. When you see the Hofbräuhaus on the right side, you're just about there. You will run straight into the campus, with athletic fields to each side. The intramural fields on the right are also used for the yearly rodeo championships.

A bit blurry, but you get the idea: nice and quiet!

Run past the gyms on the left side. When their parking lots end, turn left and run past the gyms and suddenly you will find yourself in another world. A long, landscaped walkway goes off the the right, full of singing blackbirds. Run eastwards along the walkway until you come to the Fine Arts Gallery at the end. Turn right here to run south along the next green, landscaped walkway.

Plaza in front of the Fine Arts Gallery

The walkway ends at a spot with an amphitheater in front of the Student Union. Keep running south, to the right of the Union, to the next larger road, University Road. Turn right here, heading west. In just a couple of minutes you will run into Gym Road, where you turn right to head back north, past the huge library on the left side to Harmon Avenue, which you can recognize by its strange electrical transformer sitting directly in the middle of the street, creating a traffic circle.

Turn left here and head straight back to the Strip.