Families flock to Lee Canyon for Father’s Day, cooler climes

The sound of laughter could be heard echoing throughout Lee Canyon as families flocked there on Father’s Day to escape 107-degree weather in the Las Vegas Valley.

Hundreds headed up the mountain to approximately 9,300 feet via the scenic chair ride to see the canyon on Sunday. Sarah Grace Morgan, 4, saw her first wild horse while on the lift. Her parents, Aaron Morgan and Melissa Morgan, said the experience was very relaxing with other patrons keeping their distance.

“We’ve stayed close to home; this is the farthest we’ve ventured out,” said Melissa Morgan, who was also there with her two sons and a family friend.

“It was so relaxing I could have fallen asleep,” Aaron Morgan said.

Traffic has increased, since the Brewin’ Burrow restaurant and disc golf course reopened, said Doug Benson, director of mountain sports and activities at Lee Canyon. On Friday, archery and Big Horn Grill will reopen, according to Caitlyn Kelly, director of resort operations.

“We are continuing with social distancing,” she said. “We are all at 50 percent capacity.”

Farther down the mountain, Lana Carey, Ryan Bourque and Cambrie Bourque, 9, were setting up their tent to go camping for the night with their three dogs. The family was only able to reserve one night at the campground over the weekend because of high demand.

Despite having one night to camp, the family was making the most of their time.

“It’s nice to be out here instead of inside because of quarantine,” Cambrie said.

Though staying inside with her dad isn’t very hard.

“He’s always nice and he’s a math teacher, so he’s always able to help me with homework,” she said.

Many said they traveled to the mountains to enjoy the 81-degree weather.

For Jeff Whitehead, it was an escape into cooler weather where he could teach his son Garrett, 8, how to use a boomerang in a picnic area at Lee Canyon.

“Families are all over the place,” he said. “Father’s Day is a good excuse to get out of Vegas.”

Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter.