Fun fact: Southern Nevada's Spring Mountain NRA has 7 different climate zones, a change in habitat…read morethat is similar to traveling from Mexico to the Canadian Arctic. SOURCE: Travel Nevada. There are also groves of Great Basin Bristlecone Pines--one of the oldest species on Earth that are only found in NV, CA, and UT--as well as at least 20 endemic species (that are found nowhere else on Earth). Home Means Nevada. :)

Early May, 2024. (Arriving on a Sunday, leaving on Monday). We spent two days, including one night…read morecamping, in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (NRA) which includes Mount Charleston. Administered by the US Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, the entrance is just 17 miles from Hwy 95 on Rte 157 or 45 minutes (and a world away) from the hustle and bustle - and heat - of the Las Vegas strip. Sunday. We started at the Visitor Gateway, where there are helpful staff and maps to help you to plan your stay. In addition, there is a gift shop, clean restrooms, an amphitheater, picnic areas, and trailheads to the Pack Rat Route and the Escarpment Trails. Next on our itinerary were a pair of scenic drives. From the Visitors Gateway, we traveled a short distance on Rte 157, until intersecting with Rte 158, which took us up the windy mountain road. We passed the entrances to The Resort on Mount Charleston, various trailheads, picnic areas, and campgrounds. We stopped at the Desert View Overlook, walking the short interpretive trail and taking photos. We continued in Rte 158 until we intersected with Rte 156, which we took left to the Lee Canyon ski area, passing picnic areas, campgrounds, and trailheads along the way. We then turned around, and went back down the mountain. Upon again intersecting with Rte 157, we took it to its terminus at the Mount Charleston Lodge. Our final destination was our campsite at the Fletcher View Campground (reviewed separately). Monday. We returned to the Visitors Gateway, and did the two "more difficult" hikes that originated there -- the Pack Rat Route (only 0.4 mi) is short, paved, and very steep. If you do it as a loop, the trail is somewhat washed out towards the end. Pack Rat connected to the 2.4 mile Escarpment Trail, which takes you above the cliffs and to some wonderful mountain views. Both of these trails are for hiking only. No bikes or horses. Some things to note: *The Visitors Gateway provides a good map of the area which I've posted a Yelp (in Spanish). It shows trails (including hiking, cycling, equestrian, and interpretative), campgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms, etc. *The map also highlights the trails in the NRA, with ratings of easy to moderate to more difficult to most difficult. It also provides distances, but not elevation changes. *When we were there (May, 2024), at least 6 trails, including the popular Mary Jane Falls Trail, were closed due to storm damage.

What a great experience!! I've camped all over Nevada &…read moreUtah, and this was hands down one of my favorite spots. To start with: The scenery and weather is just incredible!! But heads up, it gets super cold in the fall and winter months. When my friends and I arrived, we were greeted by the nicest camp host I've ever met. She helped explain everything and sent us on our way. We stayed in camp site #9, and she said that's one of the most requested sites because of it's location and surrounding trees. She was very right! It was beautiful! The site had electricity, a very high raised fire pit, a clean picnic table, and room for 3-4 cars to park. The water spigot was right across, so not far to have to go at all. The restrooms were clean, air conditioned, and had a very strong and warm hand dryer. I loved it. The entire campsite was very quiet, peaceful and relaxing. I LOVED it! On my 2nd visit, I was in site #1, and it was equally as awesome!!

Not far drive from Vegas, you can reserve spots, they go fast, there is also first come first serve…read morespots, restroom is clean with flushing toilets and running water, there is water near your camp spots to use for camping.

Nice campground for a weekend getaway. They have multiple flushing toilets and water source with a…read morepump. No electricity provided. A single table site is $25 and a double table site is $50. The odd number sites are reservable online. But there will be an extra service fee. The even number sites are first come first serve and they have a card paying machine onsite at the front of the overflow parking area. I think any numbers below site 25 are more spread out and less likely to be bother by noisy neighbors. Best site is probably number 41cos it's the top of the loop. We originally booked 33 but the site is so close to the neighbor and they had like a 40 people birthday party with a gigantic RV blasting that loud generator noise directly to us. Luckily the camp host was doing his runs and we get to ask him if we can change the site. We quickly changed to an even number site and it was so much better.

Sorry to say i will not return to this campground . Never in all my years of camping have i seen…read moresuch a free for all campground. Almost half the campground was full of multiple tents per site. Quite a few sites had 5-8 tents with 5 or so cars . The noise was unbearable, park rangers came through multiple times flying with their sirens going . I know there is a limit on tent occupancy and 1-2 car allowance. Hopefully there is never an emergency with having one exit and allowing double or triple the allowed vehicles, good luck getting out of there . Hopefully changes are coming .

A beautiful mountain escape located just about an hour from Las Vegas…read more Come up here for some nature, hiking, a picnic, hangout at Lee Canyon, and escape the Vegas heat! It's a great spot and whatever adventure (or chill time you choose) you will enjoy.

A split second decision this morning after breakfast... instead of same old go to Michael's and…read moreTrader Joe's before lunch... Let's go take R Bebe for an adventure!!! Doc who is our driver agreed so we were on our way. Grandpup was elated to leave the hotel for some frolicking fun. The sky, clouds and wide open spaciousness was breathtaking. The sun peeking through the trees at that altitude gave a cool pastelly almost aurora borealis mini effect. We saw cars parked along the roadside. One family even brought lawn chairs to enjoy the chill in the air and kiddies catching thrills on the ice like tobogoning. They had parkas, beanies and snow shoes on. I stood fast by the car door as the hardened ice was slick and in no desire to take an injury. I took photos while Doc and hubs let T Bebe experience getting her paws in snow for the first time. We stopped by the Mt. Charleston Resort sign with lodge below. There's a restroom and limited parking there while Doc and I admired 3 tables of Navajo crafts ladies selling jewelry, jade sculptures, unique hanging decor. I ended up spending more than I expected. Got an arrowhead arrow in Iolani colors for Bud and a full beaded bangle I've never seen before for sweetie. Got a copper bracelet with a unique twist and a turquoise stone mounted on it plus two dangles I couldn't resist. All 3 women explained what kind of gemstones were on each item plus their meaning that I purchased from them. Fun morning to do and go somewhere different than usual in Vegas. Thanks Doc for driving and continuously filling up gas for our MLK weekend road trip.

It was a nice walk but very short trail. But wit the scenery who cares it's beautiful up thereread more

I was looking to get back on the trail after recovering from a foot fracture and a severe ankle…read moresprain. It has been what felt like forever since I had been able to hike and the mountains had been calling me back for a while! My friend Norm gave me this trail as a suggestion so hubby and I got up early Sunday morning to check it out. The trail is located behind the Spring Mountain Gateway Visitor Center so you either have to wait till the center opens at 9:00am to utilize the parking area or you can park across the street and walk over. The trail is easy to find as it is located behind the center and down the hill. Once you are at the bottom, you turn left and follow the path across a wash and you will walk by some beautiful Noble fir trees growing in the wash. You then need to turn right and you will begin to ascend up this path. There are many informational signs educating you about the area. Each sign lets you know how far you have hiked, tells you about the mountain caves across the street, and about the flora and fauna. I found it interesting that the trail is named after the Acastus Checkerspot Butterfly which is only found in the Spring Mountains. I have hiked many trails in the Spring Mountains and these little butterflies have crossed my paths countless times. They say when a butterfly crosses your path, that either your life is about to change or joy will be entering your life. This trail is mainly an uphill climb but super easy, not challenging but still enjoyable. The only issue is that it is at a lower elevation so it is quite a bit warmer in the summer time. I would suggest doing this hike either very early morning in the summer, spring or the fall for maximum enjoyment. The trail climbs all the way up to the Fletcher View Campgrounds and then your return is all downhill. This trail was a perfect start for me to begin to hike again and I really appreciate Norm's suggestion. This is a great trail for people with small children and you can take your dog too!

Great area just outside of Vegas... paved road with lots of dirt roads spurring off the main road…read morefor a variety of trails. There is a campsite out here as well. It seems to be more for trail running and off roading, not any too exciting hikes. We came for some quiet time in nature, found a short trail, and had a picnic. Great spot to escape the city and not see too many people if that is what you are looking for.

Trail was icy and hard packed snow today. 5.5 miles loop. Great views…read more Weather was beautiful today too. Trail was easy to follow. Only saw a solo hiker and a family the entire trail.

The sites are big and lots of room to get away! The road not that bad if you go slow in a 2wd…read more. My only complaint is people leaving tons of trash, toilet paper crap everywhere dirty diapers broken glass! Very disrespectful! Please clean the sites after done camping! And if you gotta poo dig a hole, seeing peoples dirty poo rags is just gross!

I don't know why it took so long for me to find out about this trail, I am actually quite happy…read morethat is a hidden secret. You must drive up a windy dirt road passing camp sites along the way to get to the trail head. Not too far into the hike it turns into an oasis with a stream, butterflies, hummingbird moths, and tons of greenery. We didn't go all the way to Sisters Mountain since it was a bit humid during "monsoon season" but we had a great time and will definitely return and hopefully make it further. We followed the maps on AllTrails to get there.

LOVE THIS TRAIL. The first half of the trail isn't super cool only because the path is pretty wide…read moreand standard looking. But about 3 miles in you reach a sign where you could either turn back and go the way you came or keep going which is another 3 miles back just another way. We decided to keep going and i'm so glad we did. The second half of the trail was so much fun because it was more through the forest and had a tighter path with lots of rocks and branches. The path during the second part is only wide enough for one person. Super fun for me and my friends, but might not recommend for little kids.

Awesome 6.5 mile hike! Beautiful views and peaceful trail. It's mostly flat with a bit of incline…read morebut nothing difficult, my son was able to keep up easily. There were alot of chill spots to have a quick snack break or take pics. The hike went by quickly and definitely didn't feel like 6+ miles. Love Mt. Charleston!

For being so close to the touristy strip, this should be a must do for everyone visiting Vegas…read more Great scenic loop with lots of photo ops. Cell service very spotty. Go prepared with snacks and drinks. Stop at the welcome center for souvenirs.

If you're looking to experience the beauty of the Mojave Desert while visiting Las Vegas, Red Rock…read moreCanyon is absolutely worth adding to your itinerary. The scenic drive is a 13-mile one-way loop with numerous pull-offs where you can stop, take photos, and enjoy some incredible views. There are more than 25 hiking trails that branch off the scenic loop, ranging from short nature walks to challenging hikes. I visited in May, and for me, it was already a little too hot to enjoy hiking in the desert. We drove the scenic loop and stopped at several trailheads, walking a short distance down many of the trails before heading back to the air-conditioned car. We quickly realized we weren't prepared for the desert heat, but it gave us a great preview of what the area has to offer. Even without completing any of the hikes, I was amazed by the colorful rock formations, desert landscape, and scenic overlooks. There are plenty of places to pull over and simply appreciate the views without committing to a long hike. Next time, I'd definitely visit during the cooler months so I can spend more time exploring the trails. If you plan to hike, be sure to bring plenty of water, wear sun protection, and start early in the day. Even if you only drive the loop, Red Rock Canyon is a beautiful escape from the Las Vegas Strip and well worth the visit.