One of the highlights af my trip to Vegas was going hiking in Mt. Charleston. 20 degrees cooler than the city and had snowcapped moutains in May. Gorgeous.

This is a beautiful, mountainous area that was my favorite "nature" visit of my trip to Las Vegas. We did tour a series of beautiful wooden log cabins at a hotel resort. We also passed by some million dollar homes being built or already built along the side of the road. We also stopped by a view point up in the mountain that supposedly overlooked Area 51, although I couldn't see it well, as well as a maximum security prison. Beware that this is much colder than the Las Vegas area since it's at a high altitude and that tours cease starting in the late fall due to snow. Obviously, bring thick, long clothing even during the summer because the temperatures are very different from Las Vegas.

We stayed at the Mount Charleston Lodge in March 2008. It was a short drive from downtown Las Vegas (about 1 hour). The scenery was gorgeous. I mean absolutely breathtaking. We stayed at the Mount Charleston Lodge in one of their cabins high up in the mountains. The temp in downtown Vegas was mid 70s. The temp on Mount Charleston was upper 40's. Lots of snow. We didn't do much but enjoy the cabin. We saw kids sledding, and they also had horse and carriage rides! If you're looking for something romantic, definitely consider Mt. Charleston!

Go from the desert and heat in Las Vegas to the cool (or cold) mountain top with a lodge, restaurant and cabins in less than an hour. Great scenic place and in the winter months you can frolic in the snow in Las Vegas. How cool is that !