Sunday Driver
April 9, 2006 on 7:46 pm | In Travelblogue |Sunday, the 9th, I took a day trip to Mount Charleston (11,918 feet), about 40 miles north of the Wild, Wild West. It is located in the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area of the Humbolt-Tioyabe National Forest.
Here’s a map of all the places I visited once I turned onto SR-157.
The first place I visited was the Mount Charleston Hotel.
On the left above is a picture of the objective (Mt. Charleston). On the right is the Hotel.
There were numerous carved wood and painted statues interspersed throughout the grounds.
A few of the local residents were having a ‘pool party’. They didn’t invite me.
Inside the hotel, the lobby was a Western motif. (surprise, surprise). There was not a Casino, but there was a “one armed bandit”.
I had lunch in the Steakhouse. It was really ‘pricy’, but it was not unexpected considering it is a resort area. The picture on the left shows what you get for $25.00 (including tip). I had a cup of Chicken Noodle Soup, a Reuben Sandwich w/ French Fries, and Iced Tea and water. On the right is the view out the window from my table.
After lunch, I continued on SR-157 to it’s terminus, Cathedral Rock. The picture of Mt. Charleston above left was taken along the route. On the right is Cathedral Rock. The elevation here was about 8500 feet.
After Cathedral Rock, I backtracked to SR-158. About 1/2 mile after the junction I saw this view of the Hotel. I also took one more picture of Mt. Charleston.
About 8 miles farther along SR-158, I encountered this view of this valley floor, again from an elevation of about 8500 feet. The elevation of the valley floor is about 2100 feet. The picture on the right was a nice view of an unidentified mountain taken about 1/2 mile after transitioning from SR-158 west onto SR-156 south.
Highway 158 ends at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at Lee’s Summit (11505 feet). It is not much of a “resort”. Mt Charleston is not visible from here, but is about 10 miles behind Lee’s Summit.
After leaving “the Resort”, I took SR-156 north to the junction of US-95 from where I took this ‘parting shot’ at the entire area.
The entire round-trip was 112 miles from the Wild Wild West. The weather, even at altitude, was perfect. It was a pleasant outing.
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