Spring Mountain Gateway Visitor Center

I live in Las Vegas and although I love the great outdoors, I have always felt like to get to that great outdoors in the Spring Mountains, you had to pass by the city part of Mt. Charleston that really did not make Mt Charleston shine. Kind of like you had to pass the mediocre part in many ways to get to the really great stuff.
With the new visitor center, I feel it really is a great gateway that makes Mt Charleston and the Spring Mountains shine. It now really feels like Mt. Charleston in all her beauty has rightfully received a great entrance point. Well, the Spring Mountain Gateway Visitor Center is that great entrance point to the Mt. Charleston experience.
Although costing like $ 50 million dollars or something astronomical (which does sound crazy spending of money), they have done a great job. Visitor center, little gift shop, education center, amphitheatre, restrooms, tons of parking and entrance to some trails. For the number I anticipate to stop in this visitor center, it will have been well worth the money as time goes by.
Thousands of people visit Mt. Charleston, locals and tourists alike. I am glad that we now have a proper starting point to welcome and educate visitors to this beautiful area of our valley.

The new Spring Mountain Gateway Visitor Center has recently opened although they have not yet had their grand opening. I think the thing I liked most about stopping today was seeing the memorial to the Silent Heroes of the Cold War which has a propeller from the Douglas C-​54 which crashed near Charleston Peak on November 17, 1955. There is an interpretive marker which explains the crash and to the right of this area is the memorial itself with a quote from President John F. Kennedy.
There’s an amphitheater with a very pretty stone design and an eductional building. In addition, signs point you to the new hiking trails – where the golf course used to be and provides easy hiking. There’s also an area devoted to the Nuwuvi Seven Stones which represent the Indian tribes of the area.
The visitor center is not really large but it’s quite nice. There’s a gift shop, an information desk, and an area with interpretive signs explaining the area.
This is a great addition to Kyle Canyon.