Visitors take in winter wonderland conditions at Mt. Charleston during holiday season
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Mt. Charleston and Lee Canyon are popular places to take in a white Christmas.
The area was hard hit by Hurricane Hillary, but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Visitors are clear to drive up to the winter wonderland as the Nevada Department of Transportation announced both Lee and Kyle Canyon roads are clear, as well as the Deer Creek Highway connector.
The return to tradition came as a relief for father and daughter Thomas and Cora Laliberty.
“Especially with all the damage they had earlier with the rain, it’s been great to see how the conditions are now,” Thomas Laliberty said.
The two were prepped for the snow with their four-wheel-drive truck, and snow chains just in case.
Others like Ryan Caruso suggested hitting the road early.
“We just kind of come up here like all the time. We all love to snowboard. It’s just one of our favorite pastimes,” Caruso said.
Lee Canyon Marketing Director Jim Seely said popular spots such as the Old Mill Picnic Area and McWilliams Campground are open.
For the snowboarders and skiers, Rabbit Peak is open.
“So everyone’s coming for that. Our snowmakers as well, looking at the snowfall, looking to see, you know, how and when we can get the upper lifts open,” Seely said.
The Foxtail Snow play area needs more snow before it can open for the season.
That’s not stopping the Bosnyack family and friends.
“I think skiing is just fun because you can go the speed that you want and it’s really easy to just get on a lift and go down again,” Isabella Bosnyack said.
They made a new friend, Jimmy the Snowman.
“He used to be a snow cone, but we didn’t want to eat him,” she joked. “So we kept building him up and then we got rolling.”
For a safe holiday, NDOT suggested driving cautiously, with headlights on, and a full tank of gas, as well as checking the conditions at nvroads.com.
Spending the holidays at Mount Charleston is such a beloved tradition, and the families that 8 News Now spoke with reveled in another year in the snow.
On the other side, the lower Kyle Canyon area is open, including the visitor center and trails near there.
The 24 cabins at the retreat are open and serving continental breakfast. Upper Kyle is also back to normal but closed seasonally.
Staff at the Retreat at Mt. Charleston Peak are still trying to rebuild the lodge and restaurant after the fire a couple of years ago.
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