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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Mike Balen holds a rendering of the new Spring Mountain Visitor Gateway being built on Mount Charleston Friday, July 20, 2012.
By Conor Shine (contact) 
Saturday, July 21, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Campgrounds and picnic areas around Mount Charleston will be getting a multimillion-dollar facelift over the next several years, leading to closures and potential headaches for visitors during construction.
Once the work is finished, though, visitors will be rewarded with cleaner, more accessible public areas and new trails throughout the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, which is home to Mount Charleston and several other peaks.
One construction project has already been finished at Mary Jane Falls and the Trail Canyon Trailhead, and several more sites have been shut down and cleared of old furnishings to make way for the renovations.
In total, five campgrounds, three picnic sites and five trails will see improvements, which will likely cost more than $20 million.
Funding for the projects will come through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The SNPLMA collects a portion of the revenue generated by federal land sales in the Las Vegas Valley and directs the funding to several areas, including the construction of parks, trails and natural areas.
The centerpiece of the improvements will be a new, $10 million, 4,300-square-foot visitors center, dubbed the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, which is being built along Kyle Canyon Road.
The old visitors center, a dilapidated set of wooden buildings, currently sits several miles inside the national recreation area, and many visitors will turn off toward a trail or campsite before reaching it, said John Harris, an engineering staff officer with the National Forest Service.
“Most (visitors) are coming up from Vegas to escape the heat, and they may not know where they’re going,” he said. “Here, they can come to the visitor center, learn about the mountain and know where they’re going as they proceed.”
The visitors center will have office, educational and exhibit space, Harris said, and will serve as a hub to access many of the trails in the area.
Other projects will see the renovation of various sites throughout the recreation area, many of which haven’t been improved since the 1960s.
The Cathedral Rock Picnic Area and Trailhead has been closed for the summer but should reopen next spring with new access roads, new furniture and flushable toilets, said Michael Balen, a lead engineer with the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which is located, in part, in the Spring Mountains.
Similar improvements, including expanding parking lots, installing restrooms and replacing furniture, will be made at the Mahogany Grove, McWilliams and Dolomite campgrounds, as well as the Desert View Overlook and the Foxtail Group Picnic Site. The Old Mill and Kyle campgrounds also will undergo renovations and reopen as picnic areas.
Balen said construction plans have been accelerated and crews are working to minimize the time that the sites are closed, but visitors will be impacted and he expects “bottlenecks” in the areas that remain open.
“Change is coming, and it’s starting now,” he said. “We want people to know that before they come up, they should check and make sure the site they’re visiting is open.”
One of the most peaceful places in all of southern Nevada and less than one hour from downtown.
Way over due for this renovation to happen. However, when comment cards and emails were sent out last year to see what visitors of the area thought of the impending work no one listened to the tax payers. What makes no sense is the elimination of a campground for tents and converting it to a picnic area. These areas are full of tent campers every week when they are open. Bureaucrats don't listen.
WHERE IS THE WATER COMING FROM?
It seems that the "powers that be" in Las Vegas will NEVER learn any lessons about water usage - or drought. There has been ample proof of this disregard for the shrinking water supply - and the excesses of water usage - since 1994.
Why is it necessary to construct what appears to be a very nice building - and then surround it with water fountains - in an area where it will have a high-evaporation rate in the summer, and will freeze in the winter?
The water "fountains" make no sense - especially since the area is so beautiful with its clean air, green trees, and rustic mountain characteristics.
I think the project should drop the water features ("fountains") and concentrate on something that will not use water, unnecessarily.
The attraction is the mountain - trails in the summer, and frozen turf turned to ice for skiing in the winter.
Water "fountains" will just add to the problem of a diminishing available supply in Las Vegas. Further, as in the Grand Canyon, it will require additional funds for maintenance of water lines, cause problems with frozen lines in the winter, and add NOTHING to the beautiful asthetics that already exist on the Mount Charleston.
A prior writer made a good point: "...no one listened to the tax payers." And I might add, no one is considering the adverse side-effects, and costs, associated with establishing such water features.
Las Vegas has rules about using water for lawns, desert landscaping, water features (e.g., at gasoline stations!!), and more. The entire South, Midwest, and SW is in a drought right now! Lets be sensible about this.
I say, remove the water "fountains" and I would approve the whole project.
IS ANYBODY LISTENING?
I'm listening!
Those water fountains look just like people! How much money is that going to cost? That seems like a waste.
Idiot.
my wife and i are frequent users of the area---we don't need expensive visitor buildings--occasionally a bathroom is all that is required. also--the cathedral rock picnic area has been closed already for many, many months--this article implies this is just beginning--and in fact the area has been closed for a long time already. Many more trails are needed---with the size of the area you could put 10-15 new trails, not sure what they are blowing on the "visitor center" but that money would be better spent on new trails.
What I heard is that they couldn't rebuild the campground because of some new legislation that restricts construction in a flood plain - something about a flood in Arkansas a few years ago that killed campers and now they can only rebuild places in flood zones as picnic areas. Sounds strange to me since Kyle wash is dry all the time.
I think the things that look like fountains in the picture are pretend people - who would build fountains all over the place like that? Silly.
I think those are people.... not fountains. Good comment though.
I know that the forest service is very aware of water conservation in the National Forest.
THEY LISTEN.... sometimes.
Thank you for the passionate and concerned comments.
As the architects for the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, we are very proud of the project and assisting in delivering this gateway to our greater community. We pride ourselves in being very respectful of environmental issues and delivering buildings that assist in being not only sustainable but regenerative to their specific place. We are fully aware of the strain placed on natural resources throughout the Spring Mountain Range but also the entire desert southwest. This project will be a leader in conservation principals and as well as leader in environmental education.
As for the rendering, I respectfully offer, the white images in the illustration shown above are meant to graphical symbolize people. They are not fountains. This was done to focus attention on the architecture and the environment, but regretfully in hindsight that was not clear. This project will celebrate water in the spring mountains by utilizing naturally seasonal runoff but currently there are no plans for fountains.
We hope you will take the time to visit the Gateway after opening and we hope you will continue to provide comments. The environment and community need more vocal advocates. Thanks
So, once again, the City of Las Vegas obtained funds from SNPLMA and failed to spend a dime of that money on bringing their woe-fully inadequate, downright dangerous, equestrian trails system up to its own design standards and codes!
Equestrian families are still waiting to ride their horses on the safe, relaxing, family-oriented, trails system the City promised us over 10 years ago! The City used ALL of its SNPLMA funds to build the $60 million gun range. Then it over-hauled Tule Springs park. Now, this $20 million visitors center. We'd be happy if the City would just spend enough of their SNPLMA money to make our existing trails safe. All I can say is this $20 million dollar facility better include amenities for horseback riders! We exist, we pay taxes, we use public lands, too... Stop ignoring us!