Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge

GETTING THERE 

This wild life refuge is located close to Death Valley approximately couple of hours away from Las Vegas, NV. There are couple of alternate routes to get there. Google maps showed the route through Pahrump, NV was shorter by about 20 miles but would take the same amount of time as 93N through Indian Springs but suggested 93N. Although I was bit apprehensive about going through the downtown traffic and sphagetti bowl exchange it turned out to be route. Had better luck traversing the I-15 traffic than the slot machines and once I went past Santa Fe Station the traffic died down and near Indian Springs I had to look for traffic.  Between Indian springs and the turn off for 373 towards Armagosa valley there is just desert.  One is free to enjoy the freedom from stimulus of civilization or suffer the boredom and endured the pangs of hunger.  The big billboard "Hungry?" for the Area 51 Alien center seemed like a sign for heaven when I pulled over I saw a big store,  a diner and a brothel next to each other. I was hungry for food so i chose the diner. It was small with few empty tables and a bar with a couple sitting and a girl behind the counter busy texting. Between the time I sat down at the bar, went through the menu few times and left after few failed attempts to attract her attention she was still busy texting.  Later I mentally thanked her for saving some time for me to enjoy the park.

WILD LIFE REFUGE 

I took the spring meadows road a dirt road the main path way of the refuge . Soon after entering the refuge one sees a visitor information center which is just a big board with a detailed map and few information brochures. I thought this was it but then I saw the signs for the main visitor center. At this point I had few second thoughts about visiting this refuge which looked dry and barren with few rewards for a two hour drive.   On the way to visitor center I passed on few attractions since all of the dirt roads leading up to them had the sign saying "high clearance vehicle" recommended. Later the staff at the visitor center center said it was more for sports cars rather than sedans.  The visitor center is big with neat rest rooms and even "covered parking"! Might come very handy in summer.  Friendly staff, answered my questions patiently with recommendations and offered to queue up some informational videos for watching but I was running short of time.  Given I had only around 3 and half hours before sunset they recommended visiting crystal board walk, crystal reservoir, devils hole and point of rocks.  I remembered watching a TV report on Devils Hole and had mentally tossed it in and out of my bucket list since it is all fenced off and one cannot see the fish. When I mentioned it to staff they still said it is worth a visit.

Crystal Spring Board Walk 

The board walk i located right behind the visitor center and is a .9 mile leisurely walk with plenty of benches to rest and take it all in.  The initial part of board walk is over a dry land till it meets a gurgling stream at the far end. Later the staff explained to me the board walk is there not only to protect the habitat but also to protect the visitors shoes and the visitor centers since the land becomes real gooey even with a little rainfall. It is refreshing to see running water and spot birds surrounded by dry rugged terrain.

Crystal Reservoir

Contrary to my expectations for the crystal reservoir to be right next to the crystal board walk it is couple of miles away. It is amazing to see this vast body of water surrounded by hundreds of miles of dry dessert supporting plant and bird species and deepens the appreciation of the wild life refuge and the conservation effort at the surrounding land.  The land is quite gooey closer to water with quite a few ducks clustered here and there. I probably could have spotted few more birds near the marsh less than a mile away but I decided to give it a pass.

Devils Hole

Although in the vicinity of the wild life refuge it is actually part of the Death Valley National Park.  It is also well named since thats all we get to see here. Seems dry but it is fascinating to learn how the water in the hole we are  peering into is connected to the underground waters that are important to Nevada and California.  It is mind boggling to learn that a mini-tsunami was observed here as a result of an earthquake in Mexico.

The highly fenced off area surrounding this hole with a narrow passage leading up to a viewing area might lead one to imagine it as pupfish prison. However this is a desperate attempt to conserve this endangered species as detailed in this report 

This article in scientific american https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-plan-to-save-the-rarest-fish-in-the-world/
details the efforts and to save this rarest fish in the world.
There is a small path thats leads to another gridded hole where one can only peer into darkness and what one sees depends purely on ones imagination I guess.

Peering into this hole one does not see much but Devils hole seems to stand for the deepening divide between conservationists and developers and the awareness of which is key to the future of this planet or someones pocket maybe.

Point Of Rocks

This is probably my favorite spot in this refuge but I also spent the least amount of time due to the fact there is a big sign "The gate automatically closes at dusk" at the gate near the turnoff to this area on spring meadows road. I would have waited till sunset but I did not want to be stranded in this area however beautiful it might be. There is a short board walk surrounded by some greenery with plenty of benches and the angle of light at the sunset brings out colors in this rugged terrain along with the chirping birds. There is plenty of picnic areas near the parking lot indicating its popularity, however, at this time I was alone. As the sun neared the horizon I made a bee line to be out of the gated area and when I approached the gate I saw a sign that said "Gate opens automatically if closed, stop here to avoid damage".  I guess next time I would confirm with the visitor center about the reliability of opening and closing of these gates before staying there at dusk.

GETTING BACK 

 The spring meadows road leads to Bella Vista Road. There is a turn off leading to the left that requires a high clearance vehicles and it is easy to head in that direction in dark since it traverses a lot longer distance before meeting with Bella Vista Road. As I neared the Bella Vista Road I was rewarded with sunset colors all around.  This single lane highway leads Pahrump.
I made a mental note to stay at one of the hotels nearby next time around to enjoy a longer stay at the park as well as a possible visit to Death Valley. There was quite a bit more traffic on the way to Vegas from Pahrump and it is single lane most of the way.

Here is the link for additional photos.