Visiting Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

by ilive4travel

Published on Oct 2, 2018

USA

While I was visiting Death Valley, I was told at the Amargosa Opera House & Hotel where I was staying in Death Valley Junction that I had to go and visit Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Ash Meadows Nevada is a 15 minute drive from Death Valley Junction where I was staying and 20 minutes from the I95. If you are heading to Death Valley by the entrance at Furnace Creek then you will pass Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, so it’s worth having a stop for an hour or longer. What else is great is that it does not cost to enter.

What to do at Ash Meadows NV

Visitors Center

The visitors centre there has exhibits and a video you can watch on Ash Meadow and from the visitors centre you can also access the Crystal Springs Boardwalk which is what I did.

Crystal Springs Boardwalk

I was at Ash Meadows Death Valley at the end of September and temperatures were still in the high 30’s so despite the walk only being a mile you still need to carry water with you and put sun cream on too.

The crystal springs are beautiful and where I saw the most wildlife, it also produces 2,800 gallons of water a minute. The wetlands when I was there were pretty dry as it was the end of summer but in the winter the area can become very flooded.

Ash Meadows NWR was established in June 1984 and is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is 23,000 acres of spring fed wetlands and has 26 endemic species.  With only 3 inches of rain a year it is reliant on the water from the springs.

Kings Spring & Point of Rocks Boardwalk

This walk is 0.5 miles and here you can see the Kings Spring and see the pupfish in the crystal blue waters.

Longstreet Spring & Cabin Boardwalk

This is a 0.2 mile walk and leads to an old stone cabin that was used for food storage that was built by a gunslinger.  The spring here looks like it is boiling because of the sand being pushed to the surface.

Crystal Loop Road and Horseshoe Marsh

I also visited Horseshoe Marsh as I drove around the Crystal Loop road.  There are a few roads to drive along to see various parts of the park. Despite the distances not being large it can take a while as the roads are all gravel tracks.

Devils Hole

Devils hole is a cavern filled with water, with the rarest and smallest pupfish in the world living here, the Devils Hole Pupfish.  It has a consistent temperature of 93 degrees (F)  all year round.

Ash Meadows National Park is a great little park to visit, probably the best time to visit is in spring and autumn rather than summer as especially in spring there will be more plants to see.  During summer the animals tend to keep away or hidden during the day due to the heat.  The best time to visit in summer is in the morning as the hottest part of the day here is actually late afternoon!!

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Where to stay near Ash Meadows

The closest place to stay near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Reserve is Death Valley Junction. It is just a 15 minute drive from Ash Meadows and a 30 minute drive to Death Valley, Furnace Creek visitors centre.

There you will find the Amargosa Opera House & Hotel, it is a very quaint hotel with lots of character and if possible you have to visit the opera house during your stay, it is amazing and despite the basic facilities, it was one of my favourite places to stay.

Have you ever visited Ash Meadows National Wildlife Reserve or visited the area? Let me know.

If you love the outdoors and National Parks in the US, then read my other guides below:

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a pin created by ilive4travel about a visiting Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge showing a picture of a pond with clear turquoise blue water and bushes around the edges

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Clare from Ilive4travel

Hi my name is Clare and welcome to ilive4travel.  I am originally from the UK but spend most of my time in Peru, the country that caught my heart.

I have visited 73 countries and love to share with you everything I have learnt about these countries in my guides.

10 Comments

  1. Angela @ Dang Travelers

    We are driving Route 66 this fall and going to take a detour up to Nevada. If I can fit it in I will put this on my list for places to visit. Thanks for the recommendation!

    Reply
  2. Edith

    Haven’t been to Ash Meadow but it sounds like a relaxing place to hang out at. Would just need my fold up chairs, a canopy, and a grill.

    Reply
  3. Kirstie

    This looks like a lovely park! Since it’s not too far from me (I’m in LA), I’ll have to pay it a visit some time!

    Reply
  4. Juliette @ Snorkels to Snow

    The crystal springs look beautiful! That water is so clear. The boardwalks would have been lovely to walk around.

    Reply
  5. Gokul Raj

    Those crystal springs are quite attractive.I hope we can take a swim in it. This looks like a perfect spot to hangout.

    Reply
  6. Elena

    Wow, it’s so interesting how a place may have so much water with so few rains per year!

    Reply
  7. Nathan

    I’ve never heard of this place but I would love to go now! It looks amazing. I’ve only been to Vegas in Nevada but it looks like I need to explore more.

    Reply
  8. Carmen Edelson

    The crystal springs are stunning! What a beautiful part of Nevada. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  9. Sandy N Vyjay

    We love nature and the wild and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge looks perfect. A great place to commune with nature. The Crystal springs really looks ethereal.

    Reply
  10. Lauren Meshkin

    I’d love to visit in the autumn! It’s my favorite season and I’m sure it would be beautiful there. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

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