Turtlehead Mountain, also known as Turtlehead Peak, is a 6,323-foot limestone summit in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas, within Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Formed about 250 million years ago during the Paleozoic, it rises sharply from the surrounding desert, standing more than 1,500 feet above Brownstone Basin in a single mile and draining into Red Rock Wash, part of the Colorado River watershed. Roughly 17 miles from downtown Las Vegas, it is both a prominent landmark and a popular hiking destination, reached by the five-mile Turtlehead Peak Trail. Its Mojave Desert setting brings hot summers, cold winters, and rapid cooling after sunset.