"Mount Charleston is
a pine-covered poem,
a testament to natures
fragile beauty.
Surrounded by a sea
of desert, it is an oasis
of snow-capped peaks,
amazing wildlife, and
cool, clean air.
Preserving it for future
generations is our
collective responsibility"
John Smith, Columnist, Las Vegas Review
Journal and resident of Mount Charleston
For more information contact
Rebecca Grismanauskas
Chair Mount Charleston Visitors Impact
Task Force
230 Rainbow Canyon Blvd.
Mount Charleston, NV 89124-9130
(702) 872-5581
duffnbeck@aol.com
Photos by
Scenic Nevada
Mount Charleston Visitors
Impact Task Force
Paul Arnold
Las Vegas Outdoors
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Mount Charleston — Clark County
Summary
Mount Charleston, the only high mountain recreation area available in southern Nevada,
provides an alpine escape for millions of visitors who flock to view its spectacular
scenery, escape the Las Vegas heat and breathe fresh mountain air.
Rising from the floor of the region's vast Mojave Desert, its upper reaches are considered a true oasis of
ponderosa and bristlecone pines. Kyle and Lee canyons serve as gateways to the recreation area for hiking, biking, picnicking, winter recreation, rock climbing, camping and horseback riding.
It is known as one of the most accessible and developed areas of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. In fact, Mount Charleston was declared a recreation area for the Air Force, providing diversions for the service men and women in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The Landscape
Mount Charleston is about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in the Humboldt-Toiyabe
National Forest on approximately 316 acres.  Mount Charleston Peak ascends
11,918 feet, making it the closest alpine “island” and tourist attraction for the 1.75
million residents of Clark County. At least three million visitors come to the mountain
annually.
The region is home to more than 700 known plant species and more than 50 species of mammals. As many as 27 species in the region are endemic - found nowhere else in the world. The rare species include
the Palmer chipmunk, the prairie falcon and the spotted bat.
Three vast watershed areas combine to provide 35,000 acre-feet of water to the thirsty
Las Vegas Valley each year. Kyle Canyon and Fletcher Canyon span approximately 19,700 acres; Lee Canyon covers 18,500 acres; and Wheeler Canyon comprises 24,200 acres.
The Threat
Fire poses the biggest threat to the region. The Nevada Fire Safe Council considers it one of the most susceptible areas for catastrophic fire. The main concern is the two canyon roads, each about 15 miles long, which form box canyons, making egress diffcult in the event of Fire.
There were 163 blazes caused by humans and 143 naturally caused incidents from 1965 to 1981. Contributing to the risk, the bark beetle has decimated entire stands of pine and fir during the past 25 years. Dead trees are prevalent all along the State Route 157 corridor and with the increasing number of visitors, there is
a larger potential for careless behavior and potential devastation by fire. Dwarf mistletoe disease and infections also are prevalent in many stands, causing defoliation and presenting a fire danger.
The Solution
The Visitors Impact Task Force has been working with numerous agencies to correct some of the problems. Funding was designated and allocated for an emergency warning system for the entire mountain, following a 2005 summit on Mount Charleston.
The U.S. Forest Service purchased land, acquired through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, to divert visitor traffic to its newly proposed Middle Kyle Canyon Village. The U.S. Forest Service also has hired more law enforcement officers to monitor traffic and parking.
The high visitor population requires more signs and information in both English and Spanish. Also, an educational campaign on the risks of fire, as well as on parking and trash management, will help to reduce the threats. State legislation designating “snow areas” with limited available parking spaces should be established
to restrict the number of vehicles entering the recreation areas in winter.
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