Summerlin trails lead to adventure

     Special to Real Estate
      When complete, the 100-mile Summerlin Trail will comprise several types of pathways that will allow residents to venture through the master-planned community, according to Dan Van Epp, president of The Howard Hughes Corp.
      "The Summerlin Trail system is one of the community's most significant amenities because it provides a physical connection while encouraging social interaction," Van Epp said. "The trails allow residents to venture beyond their own street or neighborhood while still providing a feeling of connectedness and community. Summerlin's trails are a great place to meet friends and make new ones, have fun, get exercise and explore the community."
      More than 40 miles of the trail system have been completed.
      Chuck Kubat, vice president of planning and design at Hughes Corp., said the streetside trails are the backbone of the system. These trails are landscaped, set several feet off the roadways and vary in width from five to eight feet.
      "Summerlin has long been known for its heavily tree-lined streetside trails," Kubat said. "It's a hallmark that originated with the development of the community's first villages and one that continues to set Summerlin apart."
      Village trails are within the community's villages. With a width of eight feet, these trails are situated in off-street areas and designed for long-distance walkers and runners, as well as cyclists and skaters. Featured are trails that run the length of The Pueblo and The Trails villages, plus a trail that runs through Cottonwood Canyon Park.
      Dedicated bicycle trails and lanes are four to six feet wide, and align the community's arterial and collector roads. They are designed for long-distance runners and skaters, and more experienced cyclists.
      A regional trail of more than 8 miles is planned, and will be developed along the western beltway. Designed for multiple, nonmotorized uses, the trail is being built by the city of Las Vegas and Clark County in cooperation with Hughes Corp.
      "Just as The Howard Hughes Corp. has actively participated in the extension of the Summerlin Parkway and the construction of the western beltway, where it runs through Summerlin, we are eager to partner with the city and the county in developing the regional trail," Van Epp said. "By providing financial and design assistance, we hope to make this valleywide regional trail a reality sooner rather than later."
      Van Epp said Clark County received its first federal funds designated for trail development -- a T-21 grant -- this year, and that during fiscal-year 2000, the regional trail between Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way will be built with those funds. As demand warrants and funding is available, he said, trail bridges over arterial roadways will be built along the beltway.
      Nature trails will connect Summerlin to the planned regional trail and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
      The community features two Tournament Players Club golf courses, three Sun City courses and two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses; nine major parks, plus more than 40 neighborhood parks; about a dozen schools; and more than 230 model homes.
      Housing includes single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums priced from the mid-$80,000s to more than $500,000. Custom lots from one-quarter acre to one-third acre are priced from the $80,000s to $300,000, and pre-designed custom homes built by featured builders are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million.
      To visit, take Summerlin Parkway to Town Center Drive and turn north, then turn east on Hillwood Drive. Or, take Sahara Avenue to Blue Willow Lane, west of Hualapai Way, and turn south. Both centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Sunday, August 29, 1999 aPage 1M