If you get bored with the casinos and nightclubs of Las Vegas, it is possible to escape all the noise and glaring lights in short order, and without having to deal with the blistering desert sun.
Not quite thirty minutes northwest of Las Vegas is the small mountain community of Mount Charleston. It is very picturesque, and very serene. It is also quite unreal that this little slice of peace and quiet is located so close to the loudest, most garish city on the planet.
Most people do not come to Vegas for peace and quiet though, so this area is incredibly undisturbed. There is a lodge in the area, with the requisite slot machines and other such diversions, but it's not an over-the-top production - just a simple modern mountain lodge that would not look out of place in any mountain community.
The specific starting point of all things scenic in Nevada
Mount Charleston looks like any mountainous, forested area. If you were a sleeping passenger in a car being driven by a curious driver who decided to take a short detour before hitting the strip, and you woke up in Mount Charleston, it would be easy to assume you had awoken in Prescott, Arizona or Monarch, Colorado.
The air is as clean as air can be, and there are a number of recreation areas with well-cared for hiking trails. The forest service provides restrooms and picnic shelters, and nature provides beautiful views as well as a wide variety of wildlife - primarily small furry animals that tend to look at you as if you must be lost.
All the scenic stuff is thataway, Mt. Charleston is that monolith behind me
Like every area in and around Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston experienced a boom in home construction from the mid '90's through 2006. And, like every area in and around Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston experienced a bust in home sales following that boom.
So, should you become enchanted with the Mount Charleston area to the point that you might like to live there, homes are available from around $99,000 up to a million plus. The price tag really depends on how much square feet you prefer, and how indulgent you can afford to be - multi-story homes with 5 car garages are available right alongside single-room cabins
If owning a mountain home isn't practical for you, there are plenty of rentals - large homes and small cabins. The lodge, which is actually known as The Resort on Mount Charleston, has fairly nice accommodations as well, complete with a spa, full-service restaurant, and big comfy rooms.
We hope you enjoyed the tour. Now back to the plastic...
I've pretty much seen and done everything that one can see and do in Las Vegas, and being as how I have to spend my days literally in the heart of Las Vegas when I am in Vegas, it may well be a good idea to stay in Mt. Charleston the next time I pay a visit.
The drive down the mountain into Vegas is fairly quick, and the scenery is great - until it runs out (The state of Nevada was kind enough to put up signs alerting you to when the scenery starts and ends, which is very helpful).
There's plenty to do in Mt. Charleston - hiking trails are everywhere, and the forest service provides bathrooms and sheltered picnic areas. It's about twenty degrees cooler than Vegas, too, which is a hell of a plus
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