Mount Charleston Rock Climbing

This is one of the premier climbing destinations in the US, if hard (and often manufactured) limestone routes are what you're seeking. The beautiful surroundings, overhanging caves, and cooler temperatures make Mt. Charleston a welcomed escape from the desert heat of Las Vegas during the summer months. Mt. Charleston is most well-known for having chipped routes and its hard pocketed testpieces such as Jason Campbell's Soul Train: 5.14a, Chris Sharma's Hasta La Vista: 5.14b/c, and Dan McQuade's Infectious Groove: 5.13b. Other climbers of note who contributed to the excellent climbing up on the mountaintop include Tony Yaniro, Randy Marsh, Leo Henson, Terry Parish, Rob Mulligan, Joe Brooks, Francois LeGrand, Doug Englekirk, etc. Mt. Charleston also sports numerous other quality lines ranging from 5.10 and up, so if you are in Vegas and looking to avoid the scorching sun and overcrowding of Red Rocks, head 45 minutes north to this pine tree oasis.

Much of this area is in the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area. See the BLM Fact Sheet for a good overview of what it protects and what that limits, and the Forest Service page for other information. One important distinction for route developers is that it's illegal to use power drills in a wilderness area, and bad ethics to operate one within earshot of one. As always, check with and respect the local climbing community on what goes where before doing such things.

Mount Charleston is located on the ancestral lands of Southern Paiute, also known as the Nuwuvi. The Southern Paiute name for Mt. Charleston is Nuvagantu, or "where the snow sits". Nuvagantu is commonly recognized by the Southern Paiute (or Nuwuvi) as the place where they were created as a people and is considered by them to be a holy land. (Source - DOI: 10.2307/1185646).