Mount Charleston trails, nearby road closed after avalanche near Kyle Canyon subdivision

Several Mount Charleston trails are closed after a large avalanche Saturday night in Kyle Canyon.

The avalanche started near Cathedral Rock and stopped about 200 yards away from the Rainbow subdivision in Kyle Canyon, according to Clark County.

The county and Mount Charleston both warned Saturday that areas around Kyle and Lee canyons were at risk for avalanches after heavy snowfall. Lee Canyon reported 25 inches of new snow after Saturday’s storm.

Echo Road is closed to nonresidents, the county said. The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Mary Jane Falls, Little Falls, Trail Canyon and Echo trails.

Dennis Lovell, who chairs the Mount Charleston Town Advisory Board, provided a few more details about the avalanche Sunday evening.

Lovell indicated the avalanche occurred near the Cathedral subdivision and noted that no one was hurt and no property was damaged.

The report of Saturday night’s avalanche hasn’t hurt business at The Resort on Mount Charleston, located down the mountain from the site of the avalanche.

“I had one person call asking about road closures, but that’s it,” said Loren Felabom, guest services agent at the resort. “The avalanche doesn’t affect us at all. We’re actually sold out tonight.”

Visitors staying at the resort also were unfazed.

“Honestly, hearing about the avalanche doesn’t affect our plans at all,” said Nikki Kidd, who is staying at the resort with her family for the weekend. “We still plan to go out tomorrow and go sledding.”

Scott Larson, another visitor, said, “We’re going back tomorrow, so this news doesn’t concern us at all.”

He added that earlier in the day, while out in the snow, “we just heard some dynamite explode. … It wasn’t the avalanche because we saw the smoke.”

Last month, the county issued a voluntary evacuation notice for the residents of the canyons because of avalanche danger.

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter. Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.