Mount Charleston, officially named Charleston Peak, at 11,916 feet (3,632 m), is the highest of the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada and the state's eighth highest mountain peak. It is about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Las Vegas and is within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the Mount Charleston Wilderness and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Well separated from higher peaks by large, low basins, it is the most topographically prominent peak in the state, and the eighth most prominent peak in the contiguous United States.
Mount Charleston is a year-round getaway for Las Vegas' residents and visitors, with a number of hiking trails and a modest ski area. The mountain, which is snow-capped more than half the year, can be seen from parts of the Las Vegas Strip when looking toward the west. Mount Charleston has nearly 200 camp sites and over 150 picnic areas, some of which are RV accessible.
The eponymous village of Mount Charleston lies at its base to the east.
The state of Nevada issues license plates with the caption "Mt. Charleston" and an image of the peak in the background. Sales of the plate supports the natural environment of the Mount Charleston area through grants administered by the Nevada Division of State Lands.
Famous quotes containing the word mount:
“On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for Bangor and the backwoods of Maine,... I proposed to make excursions to Mount Ktaadn, the second highest mountain in New England, about thirty miles distant, and to some of the lakes of the Penobscot, either alone or with such company as I might pick up there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)