Mount Charleston, Las Vegas, NV



The heat of the summer in Las Vegas can be escaped by locals and visitors when they go to the Spring Mountains. These mountains run about fifty miles on the west side of Las Vegas. This is where the Great Basin Desert begins. The mountains are more tall narrow ridges than the mountains of neighboring states. These ridges are separated with wide and empty valleys. The temperatures here are lower because of the elevations of the mountains. They also get more rainfall.

Mount Charleston is the highest peak in the Spring Mountain range. It reaches an elevation of 11,918 feet. It is only a thirty minute drive from the downtown area of Las Vegas. The activities that visitors can do at Mount Charleston include hiking, picnics, photography and skiing in the winter. Many people just come to get out of the extreme heat.

There are several ways to get to Mount Charleston. NV 156 and NV 157 take people into the foothills of the mountain. They can then pick up NV 158 across the eastern slope of the mountain. This gives tourists a fifty four mile loop to travel. There are also two shorter spur roads that will go up to Mount Charleston Village and Lee Canyon. The latter is where the winter ski resort is located.

NV 157 is used more than the other roads because it is the one that is closer to Las Vegas. Visitors go through developments and a few residences then come to a vast amount of empty land. Traveling this road, visitors can see Joshua Trees which are more often seen in the nearby Mojave Desert. As the road goes up in elevation these trees disappear to be replaced by pine trees. This road will cross into the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Because of the large canyons on Mount Charleston that drain the water from the peak people driving along the road can see many cascading waterfalls. The area is serene and unspoiled wilderness.

Views, trails and picnic areas can be found in a nine mile stretch of NV 158 which connects the two entry points of Mount Charleston. Desert Viewpoint is a short hike and on a clear day peaks in the Sheep and Las Vegas ranges can be viewed. Hilltop campsite has a great view to the east of the desert. There are six camps in the area.

There is a cave that is south of the road that takes people to Robbers Roost Cave, which is really a large opening in the limestone cliffs. At Mount Charleston Village there is an 8.3 mile hiking trail that is rather steep to the summit. A seasonal waterfall is Mary Jane Falls.

The ski area has four chairlifts and it is on the north face of Mount Charleston peak. Even though it is a small ski area they get a lot of skiers because of the close proximity to Las Vegas. Visitors should bring food and beverages as there is no food available.

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