Pro-tip: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a must for anyone in Southern Nevada visiting…read moreDeath Valley National Park. Ash Meadows is located in the Nevada portion of Death Valley National Park. It is sometimes referred to as the Galápagos Islands of North America considering it has the highest concentration of endemic species in the United States & the second highest in all of North America. The Devils Hole desert pupfish found at Ash Meadows was actually the first ever species to be listed as endangered (by President Truman). Additionally, the wildlife refuge is one of the last remaining natural desert springs oases in the Mojave Desert, where turquoise water, grapevines, and aquatic species are abundant.

The preserve roadways are dusty gravel so pick your car/truck accordingly. No low-riders!…read more There is a visitor center, 2 boardwalk trails, a bunch of reservoirs and a couple of devil holes to hike around to. There are 2 park entrances and no cover charges or parking payments. There are restrooms at certain spots. It is still unspoiled and the color of the glacial spring water is a most relaxing blue hue. At the 2nd boardwalk, I think I saw their infamous guppy fish. Overall, the boardwalk trails, reservoirs and devil's hole trail are actually doable in a day and won't leave you hurting.

The only hike we really did at Death Valley NP. It's about 2-3 miles RT with some incline and a…read morelarge stretch of uncovered trail so bring sunscreen and plenty of water! There are some challenging climbing pieces through slot canyons and some parts where you have to decide what is actually the trail. Then the end it kind of abruptly has a rock wall so there's no 'viewpoint' at the end but the rock marbling and mosaic rocks along the way are very cool to see. We saw a lot of groups here doing like discussion circles so seems like a popular spot to walk a little in and hang out.

Beautiful dry hiking trail. Reminds me of Zion Narrows without the water. Some bottleneck boulder…read morescrambling from time to time. Arrows made of rocks point the way. Stay on trail. One guy had to be rescued by helicopter in the last year. Very dry terrain. Bring extra water. Limited shade. I suggest using the restroom at Stovepipe Wells first. No cell service. Better go near wintertime. Can be cold, so layer up. Summer can reach over 120°F. We hiked almost 4 mi for about 2 hr.

Easy 5 minute detour just past the Chevron and we find a little town gem here! Basically they are…read morecaverns carved from miners in the 1920s and people lived there til the 70s. From Highway 127, there's an unpaved road that leads past the cemetery next to Chevron. After the Cemetery, there's a small spot to park. A lot of the homes are locked (Probably cause of vandals, anyways it seems like the locals are taking care of this place), though you can look in through the windows. Apparently some people took refuge here in cave #7 from Charles Manson after they found that that they were targeted next by him. Nice place for some creative photo ops, but definitely a place to check when passing through!

Gayle and I took a morning walk through Dublin Gulch (past the cemetery) and enjoyed the various…read moreminer-carved caverns that also provided home spaces well into the 70s and beyond. It's an easy stroll, and I found peering into these abodes to be fascinating.

"Helter skelter in a summer swelter, The birds flew off with a fallout shelter"…read more SO Ive been fascinated by the whole Manson saga for years. Around 1980 I found a copy of the book Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders is a 1974 book by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry on my parents book shelves. Being a avid reader I poured through the book. Manson was the pure embodiment of evil and being in Death Valley to spot aircraft, and since on Sunday there are no planes flying, I decided to add this odd piece of history to my itinerary. Lets be very clear however, I came from the Panamint side. If you are coming from Death Valley over the Manly Pass you need a legit off road vehicle and experience. Make no mistake however, coming up the Goler Wash from the Panamint side is also tricky. I did make it in a stock 2016 MDX but it was pushing things to the limits. I also have decent experience off road, had a full set of recovery gear, and food and water for 2 weeks in case something happens (I may be crazy, but Im not stupid) . This trip is not for the faint of heart and there is no cell phone service and if you get in trouble you are on your own. That being said if things do go wrong do not panic and wait. Someone will come by and the offroad community has a esprit de corps seldom found in other hobbies and will always help. Also pay heed and DO NOT GO IN THE SUMMER. Barker Ranch in short was one of the Manson Family hangout spots. It was super remote, and it was where they fled following the murders. It was where they were caught, including Manson (who hid in a vanity). The irony was they were arrested for crimes they did not commit, vandalizing national park equipment, only later to be connected with the heinous murders. The ranch is a bit on the eerie side but I love exploring abandoned things. You can really feel the remoteness and it was eerily quiet except for the wind and swish of trees. Most of the building were destroyed in a fire a while back but enough remains to get a sense of the place. Coupled with the Goler Wash trail its a decent way to spend a day. From the trail head it took me several slow hours to get there. As always please do not take things and level them undisturbed.

Had an eerie feeling coming here but glad we made it out. Got a chance to see the remains of the…read moreBarker Ranch and we also decided to cook some food in the parking area.

We visited last saturday, which turned out to be a FREE entry day. This was a nationwide promotion…read morefor state parks. But not highly advertised. I think that this happens several times a year, every year. (Otherwise, it was $18 last year. This is the private area. Less people here. More people are at the free areas.) It was beautiful, the trees, the mountains, the scenery. Sunny, with it getting dark (chance of rain), at times, and some wind. At first, we went to a table that didn't have any shade. So we went a little further away. We went to Parking section H, which was not busy at all. Table number 71. Overlooking large white boulders. We saw chipmunks, a hawk high overhead, huge butterflies, and pesky horseflies. Also, a loud grasshopper making a mating call. (Section E was Reserved.) TIP: wipe off the tree sap with wet wipes! Good thing, my MIL brought a table cover to use. We had sandwiches, chips, cookies, bottled water, and sodas. (Some people were barbeque'ing. There are grills, but I suggest using foil, because they are black.) The blue dumpsters are in the parking lots. The dual bathroom, also located in the parking lots, is porta-potty style. There is a sign to "place the lid down". No trash bins inside. No soap to wash your hands. Good thing, I have hand sanitizer on my purse, always. (There is a purse hook inside, which is handy to use.) We went on a trail, which logged in 43 minutes of hiking, Past Discovery Trail, to the Fossil section, overlooking the mountains. Gorgeous. We brought the new pup along, and he didn't have any issues. He even jumped over a huge log on the ground! There was a random bench near the Bridge, which we noticed last year, too.

Excellent hike in the Mt Charleston mountain area, about 40 minutes outside of Vegas…read more Ample parking lot but it was definitely packed and the restrooms were kind of gross and no TP. This is a popular hike so be prepared to see humans. This is about a 2.8 mile in and out hike with the hike to Cathedral Rock mainly all incline. You are def gonna work for the views but man it is so worth it. I definitely got my workout for the day and enjoyed the views once on top. The rock definitely looks like a cathedral, no joke. The climb back down pretty easy and took half the time to get up. Really nice hike and a memorable one. If you wanna get out of the city, this is a moderate hike that will get your heart pumping and the views are so sick! Loved it!

Absolutely love this place!…read more You can walk, hike, bike, sit, etc. here. The views are super scenic and it's a very relaxing spot. I can't wait to get back here again!

Along Route 95 in Amargosa Valley there isn't much. It has the alien themed travel center. There's…read morea lot to do there if you know what I mean. Just past it is a natural area. There's no paved roads off the highway so be prepared. Big Dune is just that. It's big. This is easy to see from the road. It's a dune. This is a massive pile of sand. You can only get to it by taking unpaved roads, which can be some pretty rough terrain. Be careful with all the rocks you drive over. You don't want to get a flat tire. I would never take my personal car. If you want to get closer you should get an ATV. Mountain bikes would be good too.

Really nice and easy lookout spot. Can get crowded so plan accordingly with parking. We went…read moretowards the end of sunset so some people were already heading out. It's a short walk to the lookout point once you park. Breathtaking views with cascading and layered rocks and the setting sun made it that much more beautiful. An easy must stop if at Death Valley NP!

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset here this week. It's a beautiful view at any time, but the colors on…read morethe unique rocks at sunset are really stunning. There's a large parking lot with a restroom here. There's a bit of an uphill climb to the top, but it is well worth the effort to walk up there.

The staff at Shoshone Campground tipped us off to this great hike close to the Shoshone High School…read more(just a quick walk from the campground). The trail is relatively well-marked and I would rank it as an easy hour-long walk. The Dublin Gulch houses built into the limestone hillsides near the end of the hike were definitely a highlight of this trail.

This could have been a five star hike. Unfortunately, some parts of the hike were clearly marked…read moreand then the trails would disappear, leaving us to guess where to go. It's in the back of the Death Valley High School in Shoshone, Ca. And parts of the hike were through bushy shrubs that poke your legs. I'd recommend wearing pants and good hiking shoes. We went in the later afternoon and after getting lost, fortunately saw a hiker who looked like a local and knew where he was going. We took his path back and found our exit out. Whew! The views are stunning, and peaceful with nobody around you. I would be careful though I'm hiking alone, and bring lots of water and sunscreen- there is no shade and you're at elevated heights throughout the hike exposing you to the sun quite fiercely. We saw a couple of jackrabbits on our hike and luckily saw no rattlesnakes or coyotes.

Enjoyed going thru this river and canyon on a side by side! We camp at Dumont Dunes and this is…read morelocated in that vicinity. This river is an underground river but when it rains hard there's so much water on the trails it looks so cool! Such a great experience seeing this canyon! Totally recommend!

I have been hiking in the area for over a decade and it's always been a very special…read moreplace--history, great geology, and a date shake--all are part of hiking here. The Amargosa Rover Canyon offers several trails in China Ranch and beyond. There are two ways to hike the canyon itself. The best way to enjoy most of the entire canyon is to spot cars. Leave one at China Ranch and drive the other to Tecopa, California and park where there's public parking behind the post office. From here, hike south following the trail. Mostly you'll hike on the railroad bed of the T&T Railroad (Tonopah and Tidewater) bed as it follows the Amargosa River through the canyon. At places, the trail leaves thew railroad bed and makes wide arcs on the east side of the trail. After 5 miles, you'll reach the turnoff for China Ranch and where the spur from the T&T was built to bring gypsum from the mines above the ranch from the Morrison Siding. Along the way through the canyon from Tecopa, you'll see areas with barbed wire. This is where horses and cattle were fenced in to keep them off the railroad tracks. You will see no track. The railroad stopped operating in 1940 and the rails were pulled up and used for World War II needs. About a mile and a half from the Ranch, there's a turnoff to the west (right) and this leads to a little waterfall on the river. Beyond this about 1/4 mile, there's another turnoff--again to the west--that leads to a slot canyon that is blocked by a huge chockstone. Both side trails have signs but they have faded a lot over the years. When you almost reach the 90º bend in the river, the trail goes up a hill and heads east (left) toward the ranch. Before going up the hill, take time to look at the wood left from when this was where the gypsum was loaded onto ore cars over 100 years ago. Follow the trail from here to China Ranch. On this last bit, you'll come to a building. My first photo of this building is from 2005. The building was called the Tuff Building and the sign that was there said it was first a bar and then an assay house. The building was supposed to have been repaired that years. 1w2 years later, another portion has fallen over including the concrete piece from the doorway with the 1903 construction date in the concrete. I'm sure when I hike here next year, the rest of the southerly wall will be down too! What a shame! There are several hikes. After this 6.5 mile hike, you'll want to have a date shake and perhaps some date cookies. You earned them. On another day(s), you can explore the other trails in China Ranch. After your shake, take the car you left at the ranch and ride back to Tecopa to get the one where you started your hike. This is the way to see almost the entire canyon.

One of our favorite places to visit. I would have given it 5 stars but they took a 75.00 deposit…read moreto dry camp lol. Camping is more than double what it was a few years ago but still a pretty good deal. Just not the great deal it used to be.

Clean, quiet, near everything we needed was a great price felt very safe would go again bookings go…read morefast so book early.