Las Vegas locals, tourists looking to beat the heat in the mountains
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - As Las Vegas grapples with an excessive heat warning, many are heading up to Mt. Charleston to cool off while still being able to be outside.
“We came up with our dog to beat the heat and tire her out before we have to stay inside all day,” Molly Slavin told FOX5 Thursday at Lee Canyon. “My boyfriend mountain bikes up here and then I run on the trails.”
Over the last few years, Lee Canyon has made an effort to add mountain biking trails, and on Monday is opening more to appeal to beginner bikers. Slavin, who has been coming to the mountain during the summer over the last nine years, partially credits the addition of those trails to what she calls a big increase in the number of people joining her on the mountain during heat waves.
“I think since COVID, people have come up here a lot more,” she said, adding that mountain biking and hiking were ideal activities during social distancing. “They have all the activities up here. They have the grill, they have the Brewin’ Burro, so a lot more activities bring people up here, who just get to enjoy the nice outdoors without being in the hot city.”
Some Las Vegans stay a bit longer than Slavin.
“I escaped about the time temps in Vegas went over 100. I’ve been up here for a couple of weeks,” Alan Boyle chuckled.
Lee Canyon is also making outdoor activities more accessible to kids, partly through its Downhill Trailblazers program.
On the other side of the mountain, at Kyle Canyon, hikers have access to most trailheads, but some are still closed following the damaging floods brought by Hurricane Hilary last year. Upper and Lower Bristlecone, Trail Canyon, Mary Jane, Echo and Cathedral Rock trailheads are all closed as of Thursday.
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