Construction is officially underway at the Mount Charleston Lodge site, where crews have started rebuilding the mountainside A-frame that many locals treated as their unofficial living room in the high country. The new project revives the lodge that burned down in 2021 and has since been tied up in design tweaks, permits and plenty of public debate.
Confirming what frequent visitors to Kyle Canyon have been watching for, Christina Ellis, vice president of development for Ellis Island, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “We’ve started construction on the Mount Charleston Lodge.” Her comment marks the first public acknowledgment that ground work on the long-anticipated rebuild has begun.
According to Clark County documents, the plan cleared design review and waiver approvals in December 2023. The filings list the site as 5375 Kyle Canyon Road and describe a two-story lodge of about 10,946 square feet, paired with a bi-level parking deck offering roughly 188 spaces. The county agenda packet also spells out the approved setbacks, taller building height and reduced landscaping that allow the project to fit into the steep mountainside setting.
Design Aims To Honor The Old Lodge
Architecture firm Steelman Partners characterizes the new design as a “fusion of past and future,” keeping the recognizable A-frame profile while leaning on wood, stone and expansive windows that frame the surrounding peaks. In its project description, the firm highlights an eco-sensitive approach intended to keep the lodge proportional to the Spring Mountains and reduce its visual footprint when viewed from the valley.
Why Now: Approvals, Delays And Local Debate
Although the Clark County Zoning Commission signed off on waivers and design review in late 2023, on-the-ground checks reported in mid-2025 showed little activity at the site, a lull that raised eyebrows among residents and regulars, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Coverage of those December 2023 public hearings, and neighbors’ testimony, also flagged concerns about parking pressure, nighttime lighting and water use, as reported by FOX5…