The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) is a U.S. national recreation area, administered by the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

, west of

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. It covers over . The area runs from low meadows (around above sea level), to the Mount Charleston. The SMNRA is a part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It adjoins the

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about west ...

, which is administered by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's ...

. Spring Mountains National Recreation Area is home to several plant and animal species that are

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depe ...

. This was the driving force to create the

Mount Charleston Wilderness The Mount Charleston Wilderness Area is located west of Las Vegas in the southern part of the state of Nevada in the western United States. It was created by the U.S. Congress in 1989 under the provisions allowed by the Wilderness Act of 1964, a ...

area. The SMNRA offers activities such as

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

picnicking A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

, and skiing at the

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort The Lee Canyon Ski and Snowboard Resort is located in Lee Canyon, northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The base lodge is situated at the base of Lee ...

History

The area was first named the Charleston Forest Reserve in 1906. Additional land was added in 1989 to bring the area up to the current 316,000+ acres (1,279 km²). The area was designated as Spring Mountains National Recreation Area by the U.S. Congress in 1993.

Activities

Mountain Biking

* Bristlecone Trail * Lower Bristlecone Trailhead * Sawmill Trailhead * Upper Bristlecone Trailhead

Campgrounds

* Fletcher View Campground * Hilltop Campground * Kyle Canyon Road * McWilliams Campground * Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway

Backpacking

* Kyle Canyon Road * Mt. Charleston National Recreation Trail (S. Loop) * Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway * North Loop Trail

Hiking

* Bonanza Trail * Cathedral Rock Connector Trail * Cathedral Rock Trail * Cathedral Rock Trailhead * Echo Trailhead * Fletcher Canyon Trail * Fletcher Canyon Trailhead * Griffith Peak Trail * Griffith Peak Trailhead * Kyle Canyon Road * Lower Bristlecone Trailhead * Mary Jane Falls Trail * Mary Jane Trailhead * Mt. Charleston National Recreation Trail (S. Loop) * Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway * North Loop Trail * North Loop Trailhead * Robbers Roost Trailhead * Sawmill Loop Trail * Sawmill Ridge Route Trail * Sawmill Trailhead * Trail Canyon Trail * Trail Canyon Trailhead * Upper Bristlecone Trail * Upper Bristlecone Trailhead

Picnicking

* Cathedral Rock Picnic Site * Deer Creek Picnic Site * Kyle Canyon Picnic Area * Kyle Canyon Road * Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway * Old Mill Picnic Site * Sawmill Trailhead Areas for Group Picnicking at Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Office * Foxtail Group Picnic Site * Kyle Canyon Picnic Area

Winter Sports

Lee Canyon (Ski and Snowboard Resort) The Lee Canyon Ski and Snowboard Resort is located in Lee Canyon, northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The base lodge is situated at the base of Lee ...

* Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway

Gallery

File:Spring Mountains Destruction.JPG, Cathedral Rock Trail Avalanche chute: Destruction of trees taken on June 1, 2008 File:Little Falls.JPG, Little Falls on June 1, 2008 File:Spring Mountain National Recreation Area.JPG, Entrance and Sign File:SpringMountainsTrail.JPG, A hiking trail in the mountains. File:SpringMountainsVisitorCenter.JPG, Forest Service sign at the

Visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

File:Charleston Peak South Loop Trail Sign.jpg,

Charleston Peak Mount Charleston, including Charleston Peak (Nuvagantu, literally "where snow sits", in Southern Paiute or Nüpakatütün in Shoshoni) at , is the highest mountain in both the Spring Mountains and Clark County, in Nevada, United States. It is ...

South Loop Trail Sign File:Fall Colors on South Loop Trail to Charleston Peak.jpg, Fall Colors on South Loop Trail to

References

External links

U.S. Forest Service SMNRA Page

{{Authority control Spring Mountains Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest Protected areas of Clark County, Nevada Protected areas of Nye County, Nevada National Recreation Areas of the United States Protected areas of Nevada Protected areas of the Great Basin Protected areas of the Mojave Desert Protected areas established in 1993 1993 establishments in Nevada