Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Location	Clark / Nye counties, Nevada, United States
Nearest city	Las Vegas, Nevada
Coordinates	36°16′18″N 115°41′40″W
Area	316,000 acres (1,280 km2)
Established	August 4, 1993
Governing body	United States Forest Service
Website	Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, and lies west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It covers over 316,000 acres (1,279 km²) of land. The area runs from low meadows at around 3,000 feet (900 m) of elevation to Mount Charleston at 11,918 feet (3633 m) in elevation. The SMNRA is a part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It adjoins the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area is home to several plant and animal species that are threatened. This was the driving force to create the Mount Charleston Wilderness area.

The SMNRA offers many activities from hiking to picnicking to skiing.

History

The area was first named the Charleston Forest Reserve in 1906.

Additional land was added in 1989 to bring the area up to the current 316,000+ acres (1,279 km²). The area was designated as Spring Mountains National Recreation Area by the U.S. Congress in 1993.

Gallery

• 
  Cathedral Rock Trail Avalanche chute: Destruction of trees taken on June 1, 2008
• 
  Little Falls on June 1, 2008
• 
  Entrance and Sign
• 
  A hiking trail in the mountains.
• 
  Forest Service sign at the Visitor center

External links

• U.S. Forest Service SMNRA Page
• link to SummitPost description of Cathedral Rock hiking trail