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UNITED STATES | South-Central Nevada, Nevada Travel Guide
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Crystal Spring in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada (cc)
Photo: Stan Shebs
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Hidden in a quiet, often overlooked corner of central Nevada, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is an unhurried spot where visitors can while away an hour or an entire day searching out finger-sized fish under the endless sky. The 22,000-acre refuge is managed by the US Fish &Wildlife Service, whose primary purpose is protecting the area’s endemic species. It’s no easy job, considering that 24 different animals and plants call nowhere else but Ash Meadows home, giving it a higher concentration of endemic species than any other local area in the country, and the second-greatest in all of North America. Hot water bubbles to the surface in more than 30 places throughout the refuge, providing homes for several species of aquatic rarities, including the famed Devil’s Hole pupfish, which lives solely in a fenced-off pool at the bottom of a stone cauldron, inaccessible to the general public. Visitors can, however, view the equally tiny Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish from a wooden boardwalk near the refuge headquarters. The refuge’s marshes and reservoirs also attract a wide variety of birds and small mammals, including ducks, coots, moorhens, snipe, mallards, great blue herons, whitefaced ibises, prairie falcons, coyotes and rabbits.
To reach the refuge from central Pahrump, go three miles north on NV 160 to Bell Vista Road and turn left, then head west for about 20 miles, following the signs to Ash Meadows. Note that the refuge’s unpaved roads are often impassable when wet, and shotgun hunting and dogs are allowed in most of the refuge during hunting season. Call ahead for road conditions and safety tips. Swimming is allowed in Crystal Reservoir, and motorless boating is permitted in Crystal and Peterson reservoirs. Camping is prohibited inside the refuge.
Amargosa Valley
With a population of about 1,300 spread over 545 square miles, the unincorporated town of Amargosa Valley offers plenty of elbow room. If you’re ready for a break after the 41-mile drive from Pahrump, stop in at Rosa’s on NV 373 at Mecca Road, 702-372-1131, for some handmade Mexican food.
Last updated March 16, 2012
Posted in United States | South-Central Nevada
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