MOUNT CHARLESTON (KTNV) — While Memorial Day weekend attracted many people to Las Vegas, some locals broke their bikes and escaped the heat.
Lee Canyon opened its summer season on Friday, and Monday saw the site finish its grand opening weekend of mountain biking. Valley locals made the trip north and up in elevation to hit the trails.
WATCH | Nick Walters catches up with locals to see how they're enjoying the summer activities
"We got everything firing here from scenic chair lifts to mountain bike park, live music, and it’s been a blast out here," Lee Canyon marketing coordinator Johnny DeGeorge said.
I went up the chairlifts on Memorial Day and caught up with two of those locals who were visiting Mt. Charleston to ride over the weekend.
“There’s nothing like driving 40 minutes, maybe to 30 degrees cooler, instead of driving two and a half hours to Brian Head or three and half to Snow Summit," Steven said.
“It’s beautiful," Curtis said. "You couldn’t ask for better weather. I love the mountain. The whole crew has a good attitude. It’s a great vibe out here.”
What can you expect this summer?
Lee Canyon is making additions to the trails and to the base this summer season. A double black diamond difficulty trail will offer a new challenge to more experienced bikers.
“We have that expert-level bike trail that was added in at the very last week of last season and it’s continuing to be modified and built up and it’s running super well," DeGeorge said. "We’ll have all kinds of things going on. Yoga, disc golf, as well as programs for youth to get into mountain biking and explore the outdoors here.”
“It’s close to home if you live in Vegas and they have something for everybody," Steven said. "You got green, blue, black, double black, anybody can come out here and have a good time, get some exercise. It’s awesome.”
“It’s great," Curtis said about the canyon's new additions. "I ride all over the place and now this place is so fun because they have black, double black, they got a blue jump line, it’s so much fun.”
It's not just mountain biking that has explorers excited for the months to come.
"The sports are the highlight of Lee Canyon but we have something for everybody," DeGeorge said. "We’re introducing a new summer concert series. So we’ll have live music almost every other weekend.”
Lee Canyon's summer sports season begins Memorial Day weekend and goes through around mid-October.
