Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

There are many individual water features in this wetlands oasis. It is located about two hours from Las Vegas. It makes for a great single day trip. The much of the wildlife and plant life are unique to the area. But there is an abundance of animal life common to the greater Mojave Desert that frequently is seen. There is hunting in some areas for both waterfowl and upland game. Dogs should be kept on leashes when outside vehicles for their protection as well as the protection of native wildlife.

We really enjoyed our visit to Ash Meadows. Not everything is reopened from Hurricane Hillary, but many areas were open. Really cool desert oasis to check out, see the pup fish with some easy hikes along wooden boardwalks. The gift shop/exhibits are small, but the staff is really friendly and helpful. All the roads are gravel and some are narrowed due to hurricane damage. I’d take a higher clearance vehicle if you have one (though we saw a few sedans) and wait to wash your car until after your visit.

Nice day trip outside of LV/Pahrump. Boardwalks take you closer to the beautiful springs with interesting species to see. Nice visitor center with clean restrooms.

Very informative display about the environment and nature. Well done. There are hiking trails leading to natural springs in the desert. No entry fee.

A beautiful day hiking at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The location has plentiful signage to make finding things easy. The park is very clean. Clean and stocked restrooms. The staff was super friendly and helpful. There’s covered parking and a covered picnic area at the Visitor’s Center. Take time to watch the 19 minute movie at the Visitor’s Center about this location and you’ll be ready to see all the treasures of this landmark. The areas are mostly handicapped accessible too. Best to come when the park first opens in the morning. Tourist gifts, books on culture and history and t-shirts available. Be sure to bring sunscreen, plenty of water, a hat, a charged cell phone, snacks, and wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking. It is possible to walk up to 5 miles depending on what you’d like to see. It is all up to you. Would definitely recommend this special place.

What a hidden gem nearby Pahrump. Great location for your hikes. Definitely a place to visit for the entire family. The place is an epitome of a desert oasis, natural springs in the middle of the dry land. The visitor center is very nice. You can do the board walk with your pets, make sure you have water for your fur babies. Great for exploring with your loveones.

I keep getting messages to rate the "Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuse". lol. All aside Ash Meadows is beautiful, the largest oasis in the Mojave Desert. The visitor center is first rate.

It's a beautiful area. More then just desert rocks. The plans and fishes and occasional animal make it a serenely beautiful placem

We stopped here on an unplanned side trip while driving to Death Valley National Park. Glad we did. Fascinating place with the distinction of being home to rare fish. The blue pup fish in the stream by the visitor center were fascinating to see and the boardwalk gave good visibility and easy access. Definitely worth at least a couple of hours to stop in and learn about this unique oasis in a region with such an extreme surrounding environment.

Everything at Ash Meadows is well worth spending time there. The boardwalk is just a little under a mile long and takes you out into the beautiful surrounding desert. The visitor center has lots of information and souvenirs

This is a very surprising gem hidden in a remote desert wasteland.

The paths are well maintained and easy to traverse with a lot of them being wheelchair accessible.

The visitor center staff are very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions and give good ideas of where to go and what to check out given whatever time-frame you have to work with.

Over all I definitely recommend checking this place out if you are heading to or from Death Valley, the natural springs are beautiful!

Great experience! Visitor center is very hands on, great for all ages to learn about the refuge history and environment. Super nice volunteer that can answer lots of questions too. Great walks to see the clear pools of water and the famous little Pup Fish. You will see many birds, lizards and Big Horn Sheep if you time it right. Great shade parking for most vehicles and plenty of RV parking.

Very unique place, love the silence. It’s nice to spent some time away from the busy life. This place has a nice crystal fountain. All of the water at Ash Meadows is fossil water, believed to have entered the ground water system tens of thousands of years ago. Great place to walk. Boardwalk is a loop going through the fountain.

Despite the fact we are almost in winter, Ash Meadows is very beautiful! The pools with Pup Fish are unique. The Visiters Center is very nice and they show a great overview movie. Sam in particular was very helpful there. Can't wait to go back in the spring!

Beautiful place to visit with super easy walks/hikes. Went during sweater weather which I think was a good idea. Saw lots of pupfish and the water is incredibly clear. Be prepared for a washboard dirt road the entire time.

Highly recommend a visit. Beautiful visitor center with lots of interesting and informative displays. The boardwalks to the ponds are very casual easy and enjoyable.

Stunning place, I would never have known such beauty lived in the desert like this place. Water Oasis with fresh water streaming out of the mountains. Wonder raised trails to walk around, signage states wheelchair accessable. Beautiful color of the water, flowers and hearing the birds. We spent 4 hours there and I'm sure we missed something. Tons of hiking in the area.

We managed to spend almost an entire day here - and were surprised to find the signage and trail markings were better than at the adjacent national park. The visitor center staff were great, the walks/hikes you can take are beautiful. The gravel roads might be a little hard on your rental car....

Amazing place to see pup fish. This is a protected area and is a nice surprise.

Travelled through in the winter so there wasn't much wildlife. But the landscaping was beautiful. Nice learning experience. The Devil's Hole was interesting. About 500 little fish that only live there are being protected, so they have it caged up. From the signs, these fish have existed at this location for the past 40,000 years or so, and leave it to humans to almost obliterate them. The network of tunnels under the area contain water that serves the surrounding communities. Fascinating info.