Mt Charleston - NV

Mount Charleston, officially named Charleston Peak, at 11,916 feet, is the highest mountain in both the Spring Mountains and Clark County, in Nevada.  It is located about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas within the Mount Charleston Wilderness, which is within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

We would have loved to have hiked the Cathedral Rock Trail which is about is 2.7 miles in length but we decided that the canyon hike was more important and we did not want any injuries that could jeopardize our rim-to-rim hike.  

Here is the trail map for the short but steep hike.  

Click on this photo to enlarge and you can see two people to the right of the green bush at the top. 

When we started back down the mountain you could see some of the houses and hotels along the route. 

And yes there is a Deer Creek highway. 

Another hotel along our drive.  

This is the road leading up to the Mt Charleston Ski Resort. The resort is located at 8,500 feet elevation in the lush landscape of Mount Charleston. With 445 acres of terrain, four lifts, 30 trails and a terrain park, the resort is a great destination for those wanting to ski or snowboard.

 This photo shows the road up to Lee Canyon. The Lee Canyon Ski Area was created in 1964 when the Forest Service issued a Special Use Permit in order to provide winter recreation options in Southern Nevada. During the 1960s, the Las Vegas gaming industry was booming, and winter sports enthusiasts were pleased to find a high alpine environment in the middle of the desert, only one hour away from the Las Vegas Strip.

The Desert View Overlook is a popular stop along the Deer Creek Highway (NV 158).  

Interpretive panels along the pathway that provide extensive interpretation of the Cold War atomic testing that occurred within sight of the overlook, as well as local geology. If your timing is right you may be able to catch sight of the tip of Creech Air Force Base and the town of Indian Springs just over a ridge. This is where the Air Force trains and operates drone aircraft.

After about 1-2 minutes of walking, the trail ends at the first overlook with a grand view to the north. During the 1950’s, the Mount Charleston area was designated by the Atomic Energy Commission as being the best vantage point for spectators to watch the United State’s A-bomb tested within sight of the overlook.  

On eight separate days in 1957, testing was announced far enough in advance for tourists to plan their vacations to coincide.  Vast crowds assembled up here to watch the explosions. Metal poles erected to hold official cameras recording the events still stand just below the viewing platform. These photos were taken from the viewing point. These days, you have to settle simply for a vast desert panorama.,

During the 1950s, the mushroom clouds from the 100 atmospheric tests could be seen for almost 100 mi (160 km). The city of Las Vegas experienced noticeable seismic effects, and the distant mushroom clouds, which could be seen from the downtown hotels, became tourist attractions.

The nuclear weapons tests of the United States were performed between 1945 and 1992 as part of the nuclear arms race. The United States conducted around 1,054 nuclear tests by official count, including 216 atmospheric, underwater, and space tests.[1] Most of the tests took place at the Nevada Test Site (NNSS/NTS) and the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands and off Kiribati Island in the Pacific, plus three in the Atlantic Ocean. Ten other tests took place at various locations in the United States, including Alaska, Nevada other than the NNSS/NTS, Colorado, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

Underground tests in the United States continued until 1991 (its last nuclear test), the Soviet Union until 1990, the United Kingdom until 1991, and both China and France until 1996. In signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, these states have pledged to discontinue all nuclear testing; the treaty has not yet entered into force because of failure to be ratified by eight countries. Non-signatories India and Pakistan last tested nuclear weapons in 1998. North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2016. The most recent confirmed nuclear test occurred in September 2016 in North Korea.