Mount Charleston

I have always had a love-hate relationship with Mt. Charleston; it goes back to my high school years. For me, personally, Mt. Charleston was always overhyped and Lee Canyon (right next to Mt. Charleston) was also under hyped.  Now, with that being said, I haven't been camping at Mt. Charleston in over 20 years. I think mainly due to the fact it has always been busy. I do remember camping up there with my Grandparents in the early 80's.  

What I love about Mt Charleston:

It is an easy day trip from Vegas
You will not get stuck if you stay on the road
I have always wanted a house out there
"Real" campground with restrooms, water, and parking

What I don't love about Mt. Charleston:

It's busy and packed with people most of the time.

Now, there are a few caveats to my love-hate relationship with Mt. Charleston. With a new tent and overland gear, I can camp 1/2 way up the mountain on some dirt road, this will allow me to be away from people and YET still be close to town.

Pics

I plan to try camping around Mt. Charleston / Lee Canyon before attempting to camp at the top of the mountain, where most people like to camp.

🔦 Dispersed Camping from Go Mt Charleston

Common Camp Ground at Mt Charleston

Here are a few more recent pics (2021-05_02) - Pictures don't do it justice - it is so pretty and refreshing up there. The smell of the clean air helps clear you head and allows you to refocus on life.

I didn't capture GPS (Gaia) data - because it is a well mapped and documented area. However, here is a quick video of some of the locations we drove to.

Have you been to Mt. Charleston? Did you camp there? I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment below.