Overnight camping trip to provide mini getaway in mountains

The department is to host its third annual snowshoe and camping trip that weekend, and space is still available.

The $15-per-person fee includes lodging in a heated Camp Lee Canyon cabin, snowshoes and guided hikes. Participants are to supply their own transportation to the mountain range, bedding and food but cooking facilities are provided.

The program has steadily grown in its introductory years, department recreation specialist Rich Mueller said, and this year, families are encouraged to join.

“It’s kind of unique to the valley,” he said. “When you live in Las Vegas, you don’t think of recreation and snow.”

Clark County Parks and Recreation Department specialists, including Mueller, work in tandem with the U.S. Forest Service to explore the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area during the trip. Participants learn about the range’s plant life and wild life and how they survive during harsh winter conditions, Mueller said.

The hikes vary in difficulty and are suitable for those 6 or older, he added.

“The weekend is very laid-back, and participants choose what they want to do,” he said. “If they don’t feel like hiking, they can sit back with some hot chocolate by the fire in our camp kitchen and play board games.”

Activities are also to include a snowman assembly contest and a complimentary pancake breakfast Sunday morning.

David DeLaTorre and his wife attended last year to get away together but still be close to home.

“My wife and I have three kids, so it was a nice mini vacation,” he said. “It was about getting back to our friendship.”

The couple may return this year but with their trio of preteen and teenage daughters in tow.

“The accommodations are nice, but they aren’t five-star,” he said. “You end up sleeping on a twin cot, and the kids would love that.”

DeLaTorre, a native Las Vegan, said he doesn’t visit Mount Charleston often and had never snowshoed before last year’s Get Some Adventure outing.

“It’s like taking a nice, long hike,” he said. “It was a really good time.”

The snowshoeing was the major draw last year, he said, but the low-cost element may bring them back.

“It’s very, very affordable,” he said. “That’s unheard of these days.”

Guests are to arrive at 8 a.m. Feb. 11 and leave by 5 p.m. Feb. 12.

For more information, call 455-1905 .

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.