Some Popular Roads, Trails, & Recreation Areas to Remain Closed Due to Dangers Created by Storm Damage

The Nevada Department of Transportation and other agencies announced that State Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road) will be the first road at Mount Charleston to reopen to the public following ongoing emergency repairs that have been under way since an August storm caused historic damage.  State Route 156 to Lee Canyon will reopen this evening. The other two main highways to the Mount Charleston area, State Route 157 (Kyle Canyon Road) and State Route 158 (Deer Creek Road), are scheduled to open, weather permitting and without any unforeseen factors, over the next two weeks – State Route 157 on Friday, Nov. 3, and State Route 158 on Nov. 10.

“These three highways endured substantial damage during the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Hilary. Despite numerous challenges in planning and construction, the emergency repairs for each road were completed on schedule,” said NDOT engineer Mario Gomez. “We extend our gratitude to the patient residents of the Mt. Charleston community and express our deep appreciation for the valuable collaboration with agencies such as Clark County, Nevada State Police, the U.S. Forest Service and others.”

While the highways are set to reopen, officials remind the visiting public and residents that active construction work continues in residential subdivisions of Kyle Canyon, including Forest Service work in channels, roads and trails, and recreation areas.  The Las Vegas Valley Water District continues to work in Old Town to restore water to about 35 properties. Clark County’s Public Works Department completed repairs and repaving work on Echo Canyon Road and is now doing repairs at the entrance of the Rainbow subdivision. There still are some open trenches near roadways in the Old Town area that need to be filled in.

“It’s very important for the public to realize that with the opening of the highways to Mount Charleston, there is still a lot of active construction work under way and many of the popular trails and picnic areas remain closed due to storm damage,” said Jason Douglas, Assistant Fire Chief of the Mount Charleston Fire Protection District. “We have serious concerns about people getting injured if they attempt to access closed areas. We are asking the public to be cautious when you visit the area and to obey the Forest Service’s closure notice.”  

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is extremely pleased to announce the reopening of 99 percent of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area over the next two weeks.  Forest employees, partners, and volunteers have been working tirelessly since Aug. 17, based on the storm weather forecasts, to keep visitors and employees safe. Seventy days later, we continue to safely make repairs and mitigate hazards on roads, trails, and other recreation sites.

“While significant work is still needed to assess, stabilize, reroute, rebuild, fund, and repair areas that were obliterated by this 1,000-year storm, the reopening of so many areas before the winter season is an exciting milestone,” said Deb MacNeill, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Manager. “We look forward to welcoming visitors at the Sawmill trailhead, Old Mill picnic area, and other sites in Lee Canyon this Friday.   We’re thrilled to also announce the reopening of several year-round developed recreation sites, including the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, Kyle Picnic Area, and Fletcher Campground starting next Friday, November 3rd.”

While 99 percent of the non-seasonally closed Forest areas will be reopened Friday, vehicular access is limited in the Kyle and Deer Creek areas due to ongoing highway and infrastructure construction. Some popular roads, trails and recreation areas will remain closed for an extended period due to the extreme damage. Closure areas that remain include: the Mary Jane Falls, Echo, Trail Canyon, Cathedral Rock, and Bristlecone Pine Trails; Deer Creek picnic area; Mack’s Canyon dispersed area, and FS Roads 45085, 45085A, 450855B, 45577, 45577A, 25872, and 25873.  Additional details and an updated Closure Order, will be posted online Friday at https://www.fs.usda.gov/htnf.

Forest Order | Map (.pdf - 16 MB) | Press Release with Additional Details 

(Click image to enlarge - .pdf format)

Visitors are reminded to be self-sufficient and to check current weather conditions prior to heading to any locations within the Spring Mountains. There are no gas stations on the mountain. It’s best to leave home with a full tank of gas and to have adequate supplies of food and water. For updates on visitation and recovery efforts, see these resources:

• Spring Mountains National Recreation Area/Mt. Charleston/Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest @HumboldtToiyabe and https://bit.ly/46y14AV
• Go Mt. Charleston https://www.gomtcharleston.com/ and @GoMtCharleston
• Clark County social media sites @ gov and https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/app_alert_detail.php.
• Nevada Department of Transportation @Nevadadot and https://bit.ly/3tayI0Y
• Las Vegas Valley Water District: https://www.lvvwd.com/about/news/boil-water-kyle-canyon.html