Mount Charleston Wilderness Area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Charleston Wilderness | |
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| IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area) | |
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| Location: | Nevada, USA |
| Nearest city: | Las Vegas, NV |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 57,442 acres (232 km²) |
| Established: | January 1, 1989 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Forest Service U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
The Mount Charleston Wilderness Area is located west of Las Vegas in the southern part of the state of Nevada in the western United States. It was created by the U.S. Congress in 1989 under the provisions allowed by the Wilderness Act of 1964, and is managed by both the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. This area consists of a total of 57,442 acres (232 km²) of protected wilderness, with the BLM managing 2,142 acres (8.7 km²) and the rest by the U.S. Forest Service.
The Mount Charleston Wilderness Area extends across the entire Spring Mountains Range, including the highest point; Charleston Peak, at an elevation of 11,918 feet (3633 m). The area is also home to around 18,000 acres (73 km²) of Bristlecone pine, and is the largest collection of these trees in the intermountain region of the United States. The area also provides the only habitat for the only herd of Rocky Mountain Elk located within Clark County, according to the BLM.[citation needed]
There are some 40 miles (60 km) of trails located within the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area, which can be accessed from the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, commonly known as Mount Charleston.
