Editorial: Telling it on the mountain

Sunday, March 26, 2006 | 7:01 a.m.

A failed, half-built golf resort that has stood abandoned in Kyle Canyon for eight years could become the go-to place for Mount Charleston visitors.

According to a recent story in the Las Vegas Sun, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing to open a $53 million complex about halfway up the canyon on a site that once belonged to a developer who in 1998 ditched plans to build a golf resort because of opposition from residents.

The idea of a recreational complex that will offer visitors a place to stop, meander along a trail, enjoy a picnic and learn about the Spring Mountains seems to be a more compatible use.

At least it might help keep the area's visitors from wandering aimlessly without any real destination, which increases traffic on the narrow canyon road. Residents say they also are weary of tourists who sometimes meander into the yards of private homes seeking trails or other recreation opportunities.

The Forest Service has been working on the plan for several years but is about to unveil its details to the public. The agency hopes the site's 127-acre core will include a visitors center, trailheads for bicycling, hiking and equestrian paths, horse rentals, picnic areas, campgrounds, an amphitheater and classrooms. The plan may also include a shuttle service to take visitors higher up the canyon, which would relieve the increasing traffic woes created by sightseers and those heading to hiking trails near the top.

Nearly 2 million people visit Mount Charleston's Spring Mountains National Recreation Area each year, and 80 percent to 90 percent of them do it by driving up Kyle Canyon. With the Las Vegas Valley's ongoing growth and plans for major housing developments at the base of the canyon already in the works, that number is going to continue to climb.

The existing campgrounds and facilities simply can't handle the load, and the Forest Service is making the right move in considering a plan of this magnitude on a site that already carries development's footprint.

The Spring Mountains sustain species of plants, animals and insects that have been found only there. It is crucial to protect these fragile life forms through educating the public about the mountain's unique ecosystem and steering visitors to suitable areas for play.