Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Link to the campground’s website
Nevada’s Mt. Charleston Area Link to Googlemaps
Reviewer's name: Adam State Road 158; Mt. Charleston, NV
Date(s) of visit: August 2011 702 872 5577
Information about the campground’s location and business:
[This information is largely the same as Dolomite Campground reveiw: they are both run by the same Ntnl Rec Area]
Getting there (proximity to a major road, signage, etc.)
Just north of Las Vegas, go to the visitor centre on st. road 157 (Kyle Canyon Road) in Mt. Charleston
Attractions (what's nearby for a daytrip?)
Las Vegas, Death Valley Ntnl Park, Lee Canyon Ski Area
Campground Staff (helpful, non-existent, mean?)
Self check-in style, rangers come by periodically
Other (cell phone reception, etc.)
My cell phone was spotty, at best. Campground only open May - October
Information about the campground as a place
Facilities (bathrooms, store, etc.)
There’s a few bathrooms
Water (lake, creek, swimming, fishing, etc.)
Various springs in the area (in late august the only water i saw was Mary Jane Falls—a very nice hiking trail)
Hiking Trails (variety, length, difficulty, etc.)
This is very near the trailhead for the North Loop Mt. Charleston trail. I didn’t get to hike this trail, but it’s supposed to be about 8 hours to the peak.
Views (what can you see here that is amazing?)
There are many other trails in the area (short drives with pull-off parking) and the several I did hike were beautiful and amazing. go to the visitor’s centre mentioned above to get info on lots of trails in the area.
Information about the campground’s tent sites
Beauty (if you sit at your site all day)
This campground offers amazing views from (as you might guess) the hilltop of the surrounding mountains. some sites have views of desert valleys below which i still can’t wrap my head around.
Privacy (how close do you feel to other sites)
While there’re more physical barriers (vegegation and changes in topography) to make these sites somewhat private, they are very crowded together.
Facilities (table, fire ring, tent pad, water, etc.)
There’s some potable water spigots and bathrooms. I think each site has fire ring or stand and a table.
Convenience (ease of setting up, close to bathrooms?, etc.)
These sites are crowded. Parking is crowded. The views are mind boggling.
Reviewer’s narrative
This and Dolomite are the two (of several) campgrounds I looked at in the Spring Mountain area: as far as I’m concerned, this is the place to stay in this area. A lot of people seem to agree so make reservations and get a site on some outer edge. It’s much less worth the trouble if your site is not on the outside of the loop. Of course from any site, the night sky is unreal (there’s an observatory on a nearby mountainside). There are tons of trails within a 15 minute drive. The heat borders on unbearable (granted we were there in august) and while it is a forest, at least 50% of my hiking time was spent in direct sun.
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