U.S. Forest Service

• Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, better known to locals as Mount Charleston, is located just 30 minutes from downtown Las Vegas. To get there, travel north on Highway 95 to the junction of Highway 157. The area received its formal designation as a national recreation area in 1993. The Spring Mountains provide critical habitat for a huge variety of wildlife and plants and is a major source of groundwater for surrounding communities because it has some 80 named springs or seeps. The dense ponderosa and twisted bristlecone pine forests assist in providing a comfortable, cool climate for all those who live in and pass through this one of a kind area.