MT. CHARLESTON (KTNV) — Authorities are preparing for a very busy The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend for visitors on Mount Charleston and the surrounding areas.
"Traditionally, this is one of out busiest times for Mt. Charleston, it's one of the last long weekends of the winter," said Trooper Jason Buratczuk with the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Authorities are expecting capacity crowds to pack into snow areas and the ski resort over the weekend.
NHP is reminding mountain visitors to come early and park responsibility.
"If you’re leaving your house past noon, you’re probably already too late," said Trooper Buratczuk.
"You need to get there early so you can secure a legal parking spot," added Buratczuk.
According to NHP, there are approximately 3,500 parking spots on the mountain between SR 156 (Lee Canyon Road,) SR 157 (Kyle Canyon Road,) and SR 158 (Deer Creek Road) and they are expected to fill up fast.
Drivers may try to park illegally along the highways which prevents emergency crews from getting to incidents.
"A lot of folks go to different areas and we end up having medical emergencies, and emergency personnel have to respond to something and they have trouble doing that," said Buratczuk.
READ: SNOW PLAY MAP FOR MT. CHARLESTON AND SURROUNDING AREAS INCLUDING WHERE TO PARK
Authorities are reminding visitors to also fuel up, dress warmly, and bring any trash off the mountain.
In 2019, volunteers removed 12 tons of trash and spent more than 3,400 hours picking up liter.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TIPS FOR VISITING THE MOUNTAIN CLICK HERE
