Climb up Mount Charleston in Las Vegas
Only 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas strip, Mount Charleston is a great place for hiking and camping. It is also home to the oldest living organisms in the world.
Only 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas strip lies Mount Charleston within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area of the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest. Standing at an elevation of 11,918 feet, it offers numerous day and overnight hiking trails ranging in difficulty from easy to very difficult, with wonderful views of mountains and the surrounding desert. You will find campgrounds and picnic areas and activities such as rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, dirt roading, and skiing and snowshoeing in winter.
Spring Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses an amazing array of “life zones.” Desert plants like sagebrush and Joshua Trees dominate the desert life zone at lower elevations. At mid-elevations, you will see a Pinyon Juniper ecosystem and then forests of Ponderosa Pine and other coniferous trees. Bristlecone Pines – the world’s oldest living organisms at 5,000 years old, appear at an elevation of 10,000 feet.