Northwest of Las Vegas via U.S. 95 and state Routes 156 and 157
With elevations ranging from 7,000 to nearly 12,000 feet, Mount Charleston is a great getaway from the summer heat. And in the winter, skiing in the desert is one of the happy oddities of Las Vegas life. We're not so sure it's still a getaway from people, however. As the valley's population continues to surge, and tract housing creeps closer to the Kyle Canyon turnoff, it's getting awful crowded up there. Mesquite was a distant second choice for a nearby retreat.
Our Pick: GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK
Northeast of Las Vegas via U.S. 93
Escaping people in Southern Nevada takes a little more effort than it used to. Driving halfway across the state to this 77,100-acre park in the Humboldt National Forest east of Ely ought to do it. Established in 1986, Great Basin is one of our newest national parks, befitting a state where so much is new. There's enough variety in this "desert mountain island" to satisfy any nature lover, be it forest, lakes or limestone caverns.
