Mount Charleston offers respite from LV Valley's bustle

After a long El Nino winter, camping season is finally here.

An hour drive from the Las Vegas Valley is the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area of the Toiyabe National Forest -- familiar to most as Mount Charleston.

"A lot of people from Las Vegas have never even been up here and don't even know there's a forest area," Tim Short, recreational officer for the Spring Mountains area, said.

"The scenery is outstanding," he said. "You don't have a clue that you're right outside Las Vegas. Nothing anywhere close has this recreational opportunity." Short stands in one of the many spots that overlooks the pine-covered mountainsides and valley below.

There are a total of four campgrounds, three picnic areas, two group picnic areas and one group overnight campsite in the Spring Mountains area.

Fees for campground sites are $13 a night for individual sites, $20 a night for double family sites. Day use of campsites for picnicking is available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday for $5.

There are only 40 percent nonreservable sites. Short recommends those without reservations come up as early as they can on Friday. It's a first-come, first-served basis, he said.

"We recommend people make a reservation," he said.

Aside from relaxing and enjoying the scenery, Short said there are many hiking opportunities, including 12 established trails varying in length, scenic tram rides at the Lee Canyon ski area, summer concerts at the ski area and guided horseback rides out of Mount Charleston Lodge. Pets are allowed if they are kept on a leash.

At the Hilltop Campground, between Kyle and Lee canyons, Lee Witt, a U.S. Trails summer campground host, is shoveling the last of the winter snow, most of which melted off three or four weeks ago.

Because of this year's lengthy winter, some campgrounds have opened, but with limited facilities. The remainder of the campgrounds are now being opened.

"Usually by this time everything is open. We're about two weeks behind schedule," said Dee Gardner, a spokeswoman for the Forest Service, adding the camping season generally runs from May to October.

"El Nino has really delayed our operating season," Short added.

Short recommended that until the cold spell ends, campers should make sure to bring warm clothes and sleeping bags.

"There's a real radical temperature change from day to night," he said.

Despite the cold weather, the Hilltop Campground was full Memorial Day weekend, and Short expects it to be full again this weekend.

"This is a state-of-the-art campground," he said.

The 35 sites in the Hilltop Campground are secluded between the mountain mahogany, Ponderosa pine, white fur, pinon pine and juniper trees. Each site has a picnic table, a fire pit, a grill and paved parking. Flush toilets, solar-heated showers and fresh drinking water from the springs are available also.

There are three sites for the physically disabled. These sites have been leveled for wheelchair access, have higher level picnic tables and grates for easy wheelchair use.

Gardner said there are about 4 million visitors throughout the year to the Spring Mountains recreation area and that a significant number of them are tourists. There are 120,000 visitors throughout the year who use the campgrounds and picnic areas.

Wildlife native to the area, Short said, are deer, foxes, chipmunks, hawks and eagles. Because of the location, there are a lot of species endemic to the area, including chipmunks, butterflies and plant life.

Kathy Moskowitz, archaeologist for the Forest Service said the reason for the forest in the middle of the desert is mostly because of the elevation, the highest point being 12,000 feet, which is the third highest peak in Nevada.

Moskowitz explained that 17 million years ago, the Spring Mountains were covered by an ocean and that maybe 10 million years ago a buckling of the Earth caused the mountains to rise up.

"We refer to it (forest area) as an 'island in the desert' because you don't expect it to be there," Gardner said.

Gardner said on the second Tuesday of June, July and August, there will be a free camping and free picnic day. This will be a first-come, first-served situation.

"We recommend that they come up midweek if they can," she said. "It's a more serene experience."

Short said the average temperature for summer days runs between the 70s and 80s and the nights get down to the 50s.

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