Great place to head to to escape the hustle and bustle...and heat...of Vegas and decompress. Beautiful drive transitioning from desert to cool mountain forest. There is a beautiful, quaint...and I'm sure very pricey mountain 'village'. Loved the cliff-side houses. A huge trail network ranging from quick to all day.

The trail from the South Loop is difficult to be sure, but it can be done if you are in reasonable shape. Start early, bring lots of water. The first part is the switch backs to the junction to Griffith Peak. The second part winds through a meadow, burned area, and a steady climb to a ridge. The third part is the final steep ascend. Yes you get a 360 view, but the peak itself rather bare and uninspiring. You can get here from the North Loop, but it will be quite a bit longer, because you have to start from Deer Spring road instead of Trail Canyon. I have tried that several times, and always find myself running behind and have to turn back. But again, I go pretty slow.

Beautiful views and hiking trails for all levels of hikers! Little Falls Trail is a relatively easy hike and the waterfall at the end is gorgeous! Also, Mount Charleston is an easy drive from Vegas and it is significantly cooler up there especially in the morning. It does get crowded on the weekends, so go early if you can. Very nice Visitor’s Center too!