Mt. Charleston Wilderness
The Mt. Charleston Wilderness is an inspiring place with invigorating mountain air, ice-cold springs, and acres of noble evergreen forests. The rugged mountain scenery extends across the crest of the Spring Mountains and includes towering crags, deep and wide canyons, narrow slot canyons, and steep hillsides, Fletcher Canyon, Robbers Roost, and Mummy and Trough springs. Mt. Charleston is known as a "Sky Island" because of its high elevation and isolation from the drastically different desert lowlands. Elevations range from about 4,440 feet on the lowest slopes in the southwest part of the wilderness area, to nearly 12,000 feet at the summit of Mt. Charleston Peak, the highest elevation in the Spring Mountains.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Nevada |
| Size | 56,819 acres |
| Designated | 1989, by Congress |
| Center point | 36.28° N, 115.70° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
8 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 53 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Mud Springs ↗ | 14.3 | |
| Bonanza ↗ | 13.6 | |
| North Loop ↗ | 9.6 | |
| Trail Canyon ↗ | 7.5 | |
| Griffith Peak ↗ | 5.3 | |
| Fletcher Canyon | 1.6 | |
| Mummy Springs | 0.3 | |
| Willow Peak Trail | 0.3 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedLovell Rx
9 mi from the center point · 54 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
Guidebooks for Nevada
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Mt. Charleston Wilderness?
56,819 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Mt. Charleston Wilderness?
Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service share management. The Bureau of Land Management portion is the largest in the wilderness record.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Mt. Charleston Wilderness in?
Nevada.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Mt. Charleston Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1989.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Mt. Charleston Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Mt. Charleston Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 36.278° N, 115.703° W. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is 17 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Mt. Charleston Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Lovell Rx at 9 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Mt. Charleston Wilderness?
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.