"You'll be able to put your 5-year-old on a bicycle and don't have to worry about dodging traffic," said Jim Holland, a National Park Service planner.

The $4.4 million, 12-foot-wide trail is a portion of the 35-mile River Mountains Loop Trail that when completed will encircle the River Mountains, which separate Henderson from Boulder City.

The loop will link to other valley trails including a multi-use trail system near Sunrise Mountain that stretches to the 2,400-acre Wetlands Park along Las Vegas Wash.

When the trail is entirely finished, people also will be able to travel from Boulder City to Henderson and back again by trail.

"It connects neighborhood to neighborhood," Holland said. "It doesn't just connect to federal land."

The section now under construction begins at a trailhead overlooking Lake Mead at U.S. Highway 93 and Pacifica Way. It follows the lakeshore, then meanders west to Lake Las Vegas Parkway.

Some other sections of the loop trail, including a portion to accommodate equestrian use near Henderson's Equestrian Park, are already complete. Holland said that section already gets about 100 visitors each day.

The section under construction also will link to the historic railroad trail that leads to Hoover Dam. That portion should be complete in mid-October, Holland said.

"That segment was used to get equipment to Hoover Dam when they were building it," he said. "You'll be able to bike to the dam."

John Holman, chairman of the River Mountains Loop Trail partnership, said the trail will be a good alternative for bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts who are tired of fighting traffic.

"This will be a great bicycle ride," he said. "It will be one of the premier recreation trails in Southern Nevada. Lake Mead is part of the Southern Nevada community, and this makes access to it much easier."

The 17.4-mile section of the project is expected to be completed in the spring. The entire 35-mile loop should be finished in early 2009.

A trail partnership formed in 1996 to build a recreational trail for residents and visitors in Southern Nevada.

Funding for the project comes from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act and the Nevada Department of Transportation Highway Enhancement Fund.

For trail information, visit www.rivermountainstrail.com.