When I asked my Las Vegas friend Marian how she survived her city’s beastly summer heat, she had two words for me: Mt. Charleston. This dense forest, officially the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, rises like an emerald from the scrubby Mojave Desert. Charleston, at an elevation of about 7,500 feet, is usually 20 degrees cooler than Las Vegas, and, at only about half an hour northwest of downtown, close enough that locals drive up after work to walk the dog. As Las Vegas sizzled during a September visit, my boyfriend and I headed for the mountain for a bit of hiking and cool mountain air.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 02, 2018 12:56 UTC