It was about a year ago when I posted my first article on this site, a piece about the Laughlin River Run. This annual motorcycle gathering is a magnet for thousands of enthusiasts from across the nation. Having just as much fun this year as the last, the River Run remains a permanent fixture on my calendar as long as I’m in Southern Nevada.
Now, I’ll confess, I’m not a rider myself. Helmets and hairstyles just don’t mix in my world, and I’m pretty sure my chatter would have any self-respecting Harley rider leaving me in their dust. However, I absolutely love being in the thick of the biker crowd. There’s a genuine friendliness, a down-to-earth vibe, and the soundtrack of blues and classic rock is just unbeatable – it’s the essence of biker culture.
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Exterior of Pioneer Saloon biker bar in Goodsprings, Nevada, a historic Wild West saloon popular with motorcycle enthusiasts.]()
While I’m usually up for solo adventures, my friends and family tend to get a little nervous about some of my lone explorations. So, for this trip to the saloon, I enlisted my adventurous friend Lisa Gioia-Acres to join me. Lisa shares my spirit of exploration, and as two 51-year-old grandmothers, we actually fit right into a biker demographic. A New York Times article pointed out that the average age of a Harley rider is around 49, so we weren’t too far off!
Finding the Pioneer Saloon is a breeze. Just head south on Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Exit 12 at Jean, then west on Route 53/161 for about six miles – trust me, you can’t miss it. Lisa and I made great time, probably thanks to our non-stop girl talk, but our arrival was less than graceful. Pulling into the parking lot, jam-packed with motorcycles, it quickly became clear parking was a no-go. With no way to drive through, I had to attempt a very careful three-point turn under the watchful eyes of a crowd of beer-sipping Harley enthusiasts.
“Uh-oh,” I muttered to Lisa, who was now attempting to become one with the passenger seat.
I was dangerously close to recreating that scene from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” where he accidentally topples a line of bikes belonging to a biker gang. Thankfully, disaster was averted, and I managed to maneuver out of the lot and park across the road.
“Well, we’ve arrived,” I announced to Lisa as we finally settled onto bar stools on the outdoor patio. “Just a couple of grandmas enjoying Easter Sunday at a biker bar.”
If there’s a recipe for a perfect weekend, it might just include cold beer and live music. And doing it on a weekend afternoon? Even better. The weather was fantastic, and the band, Chris Bell & 100% Blues, was absolutely on fire. We were two very happy women soaking it all in.
The Pioneer Saloon, built way back in 1913, stands as one of the oldest watering holes in the Wild West and boasts appearances in numerous TV shows and movies, including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Miss Congeniality.” Its walls are practically a living museum, adorned with framed newspaper clippings and artifacts that tell tales of its rich history. Legend has it that in 1942, the iconic Clark Gable spent three long days at the bar awaiting news of his wife, Carole Lombard, who tragically died in a plane crash at Double Up Peak near Mount Potosi. Today, patrons can still rest their boots on the very same brass foot rail that Gable himself might have used.
The saloon has impressively maintained its original character. You can still see bullet holes in the pressed tin walls, remnants of a 1915 shootout over a high-stakes poker game. However, Monica Beisecker, the bar’s manager, assured us that the modern crowd is much more peaceful. “We never have any trouble here,” she mentioned.
There’s a reason why, despite living in Las Vegas for six years, Goodsprings was new to me. Back when the Pioneer Saloon was built, Goodsprings was a bustling mining town with around 800 residents. Today, it’s home to only about 200, and the saloon and the general store next door are the town’s only two businesses. The original bell at the tiny Goodsprings Elementary School still rings daily, calling its small student body—all six of them—to class.
Whether you arrive on a shiny new Sportster, a classic Softail, or even an older, reliable Saturn like we did, you’re guaranteed to enjoy the Pioneer Saloon’s vibrant atmosphere and step back into yesteryear. Due to state smoking laws, the Pioneer Saloon doesn’t serve food anymore, but Monica shared that you can grab supplies from the general store next door and cook up a meal on one of their eight outdoor, commercial-grade barbecues. With pool tables, rocking music, cold beer, and a cast of incredibly interesting characters, what more could you possibly ask for in a biker bar experience?
