The master-planned community of Summerlin, which is the brain child of developer Howard Hughes Holdings, boasts more than 300 parks within it’s boundary and 32 in the works.

Howard Hughes shared exclusive information with the Las Vegas Review-Journal about it’s vast network of parks, trails and various amenities. Summerlin has 30 large community parks and a wide array of amenities including 20 tennis courts, 14 baseball diamonds, 13 basketball courts, 11 soccer fields, eight pickleball courts and one outdoor roller hockey rink, among others.

Summerlin also has 200-plus miles within its trail system, comprised of six types of trails including landscaped and lighted street-side trails which are used for walking and jogging and which Howard Hughes calls the “backbone” of the system.

Then there are village trails, which are located within natural arroyos and man-made open spaces. There are also regional trails which are connected to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and are constructed through a public-private partnership between Clark County, the city of Las Vegas (which part of Summerlin is located in), along with Howard Hughes.

Shaping Summerlin’s quality of life

Danielle Bisterfeldt, senior vice president of marketing and consumer experience for Summerlin, said parks and trails have long played a significant role in shaping Summerlin’s quality of life as part of the master plan that dictates acreage for recreational opportunities.

“As we continue to remove grass in common areas that is considered decorative and non-functional with the goal of saving water, and with reductions in grass at individual homes, parks are becoming even more significant to support quality of life by accommodating play, sports, recreation and social gathering,” she said.

Summerlin will also be home to “natural earthen-tread” trails within currently undeveloped areas of the community which are intended for use by hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Also in the area surrounding the 215 Beltway, multi-modal trails are being added, which Howard Hughes describes as a “new take on side-street” because they measure more than 10 feet wide and feature both paved and soft surfaces.

There are also urban trails throughout the community which separate walkers from cyclists in many of the newer areas of Summerlin.

Connection to Red Rock Canyon

Howard Hughes shared with the Review-Journal that the goal is to have Summerlin’s trail system connect cyclists and hikers to Red Rock Canyon from the village of Stonebridge as a planned 20-mile bike and hike trail that will run along Nevada State Route 159. That’s in the works, but a completion date has not been set yet.

“As part of the larger planned Clark County Red Rock Canyon Legacy Trails project, the 5.5-mile section will begin in Summerlin, linking directly to the Red Rock Visitors Center,” said the company in a statement. “Howard Hughes is working closely with Clark County, the BLM, the Federal Highway Administration and other groups to help design and implement the planned trail extension.”

Summerlin also has four resident-only private community centers (The Trails Community Center and Pool, The Vistas Community Center and Pool, The Willows Community Center and Pool and The Gardens Community Center along with two public community centers including one in the city of Las Vegas (Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center and Pool) and Clark County (Aquatic Springs Indoor Pool).

Finally, Summerlin has 10 golf courses including five private ones (TPC Summerlin , TPC Las Vegas, The Summit, Red Rock Country Club Siena Course and Red Rock Country Club Mountain Course), along with five public ones including Bear’s Best Las Vegas, the Siena Golf Club, Eagle Crest, Highland Falls and Palm Valley.

Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.