About 90 minutes northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, the Mojave Desert hides an oasis so improbable it feels like a mirage: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, where more than 50 springs and seeps pour turquoise water into pools, marshes and meandering boardwalk trails.
Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge protects the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert — and one of the most extraordinary concentrations of unique wildlife on Earth. More than two dozen species live here and nowhere else, including the tiny Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish, which thrives in warm spring pools, and rare spring-loving plants that bloom along the water’s edge. Nearby, the refuge also safeguards Devils Hole, a flooded cavern that is the entire world for the famous Devils Hole pupfish.
Visitors explore on gentle boardwalks that keep feet dry and wildlife safe. At Crystal Spring, a wide wooden path circles a deep, jewel-blue pool fringed with greenery. The Point of Rocks boardwalk climbs to sweeping views over the valley, and at Longstreet Spring you can peek into a spring cabana from the 1890s homestead era. Every trail is short, scenic and family friendly — the adventure is in looking closely.
Admission is free, and the refuge is open from sunrise to sunset. Bring binoculars, watch for roadrunners and wild burros on the drive in, and discover the desert’s most surprising color: spring-fed blue.
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
