Mount Charleston is located 45 minutes from Las Vegas. This cooler, wooded retreat offers picnicking facilities and hiking trails. Water and bathrooms are provided.
A person looking for relief from the scorching heat of Las Vegas need only travel 40 minutes north of the city along highway 95, make a left turn on Tonapah road, and follow this until it brings them to Cathedral Rock on Mount Charleston. This cool, wooded retreat offers all the basic elements needed to provide a day of stress reliving peace and quiet.
There is no entrance fee but there is a $5 parking fee for use of the nearest parking spaces. (The price is $2.50 for Senior Citizens who show a Golden Pass card.) You will want to park here, otherwise you will be facing a steep uphill walk carrying your gear. This parking facility is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Once passed the booth, picnickers should take the first left and follow the downhill sloping system of circular roads where they will find shaded picnic areas constructed to blend into their natural forest setting. Although the number of spaces is limited, the booth attendant issues each car a receipt that serves to keep a tally of the number of cars entering the picnic area. Hikers should park their car before the first left turn and begin their hike passing by the picnic entrance on their left. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
Picnickers
What you do there determines the quality of your visit. Densely wooded slopes, cool breezes and the sent of pine do not set the stage for loud music and energetic parties. One can find these in abundance in the valley below. Rather than import these elements, think CHANGE! Think BASIC COMFORT! Bring along your folding chair, a blanket, pillows or a hammock. Bring charcoal, food, cards and a good book! Come early and plan to spend the entire day! Except for the very hottest part of summer, you can easily encounter chilly breezes during the early morning and late afternoon hours. If you are visiting during June or September you might want to have a sweater in the car just in case. Bathrooms are conveniently located through out the facility as well as water faucets. Double-check your list of things to bring because you will not find any stores, or gas stations, on the mountain. Once I forgot to bring aluminum foil and had to go asking at the restaurant located a stone's throw from the picnic area. The aluminum was offered at a price of fifty cents per sheet.
Hikers
Mount Charleston offers over 53 miles of hiking trails. Cathedral Rock contains one of these. This trail is a little more than 2.5 miles in length and is rated as mildly strenuous with a gain of 1000 feet in elevation. It takes most people about two hours to complete the walk. Bathrooms are provided beside the parking lot at the entrance. Attendants are available to answer questions at the booth.
This is not all that Mount Charleston has to offer. There are cabins for rent, hotel, lodge/restaurant and a winter play area. Most of all Mount Charleston is a place to escape from the Las Vegas rush and heat. It is surprising how many residents of Las Vegas do not take advantage of this wonderful and rejuvenating place.
