In recent years, Las Vegas has started to earn a reputation for the wild countryside in very close proximity. Most people think of the area round Vegas as a sprawling desert, but the southern border of Nevada is also a mountain range, and the Spring Mountains provide a lot of tourism potential, including Red Rock Canyon and other parts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Due to its higher elevation and abundance of natural springs, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (HTNF) is a stark contrast to the surrounding desert only mere miles away. The mountain range is expansive and the declared national forest encompasses 6.3 million acres of green forestland and is the largest National Forest in the country outside of Alaska.

One of the most unique aspects of Vegas’ National Forest is that it’s not a continuous stretch of mountain. Instead, the entire forest area is spread out all over the southern part of the state and even parts of eastern California. All in all, there are 10 separate ranger districts scattered across miles, including the popular Santa Rosa Range.

The Humboldt and Toiyabe regions are actually separate, although still part of the same National Forest in Vegas. Humboldt National Forest is the smaller of the two. Generally, it is also considered to be a little less popular than the Toiyabe range due to its location. Humboldt is located in northern Nevada in Humboldt, Lincoln, White Pine, Elko and Nye counties.

Toiyabe National Forest is the more visited region and encompasses 56.5% of the total National Forest area in Nevada, making it substantially larger than its smaller counterpart. Toiyabe is the actual part of the range that can be found in and around Vegas (Clark county and Carson City) and it also flows over into California.

The 316,000 acres of immediate forest area located near Las Vegas is known to locals as Mount Charleston. Some parts of the mountain range stand so high above sea level that they’ll develop snow-capped peaks. For folks driving out of the desert, looking up to see snow only 30 minutes away from Vegas is a surprising sight.

Throughout the hundreds of thousands of acres, there are all types of trails, camping grounds and wildlife that visitors can take full advantage of. ATV enthusiasts and mountain bikers absolutely love the Toiyabe mountain range. From the main recreation point, the elevation ranges from 3,000 feet at its lowest all the way up to 12,000 feet at the peak. That’s nearly 3 miles above sea level.

The canyons make for great hiking during all months of the year, but the summer months are best for higher elevations. In the winter months, the weather can get rough at that elevation. Camping and other mountain activities in the summer is also a draw due to the range being much cooler than Las Vegas’ ground temperatures.

All in all, there are six campgrounds located throughout the Spring Mountain range, including the McWilliams, Dolomite, Mahogany Grove, Hill Top and Deer Creek grounds.