Desert National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish And Wildlife Service), Established 1936 To Protect Desert Bighorn Sheep; The Largest National Wildlife Refuge In The Lower 48 States · Las Vegas, Nevada

Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a vast stretch of Mojave Desert and mountain north-west of Las Vegas, set aside in 1936 to protect desert bighorn sheep and usually described as the largest national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states, at about 1.6 million acres. It spans six mountain ranges and runs from creosote flats to pine and fir forest near the summit of Hayford Peak, but the western part overlaps the Nevada Test and Training Range, used by the Air Force, and is closed to the public. The part most people see is Corn Creek, about half an hour from downtown off US 95: a spring-fed oasis with ponds, old trees, short trails and a visitor centre, and one of the best birding spots in southern Nevada during migration. Beyond it, long dirt roads such as Mormon Well Road and Alamo Road cross remote Joshua tree and yucca country into the Sheep Range, with no services at all. Entry is free. It is quiet, few visitors come, and it rewards people who like wildlife, silence and desert rather than sights.

16001 Corn Creek Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89124, United States

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the refuge grounds and Corn Creek trails are open daily during daylight hours, with no fee; the visitor centre keeps limited daytime hours, often roughly 8 am to 4 pm on a few days a week, and is closed on some weekdays and federal holidays; the back roads are open all the time but may be closed by storm damage, flooding or snow. The traps are arriving at noon in summer, when the birds are silent and the heat is dangerous; driving out on a day the visitor centre is closed and expecting water, maps or advice; setting off up Mormon Well Road in a low rental car; and drifting toward the military range boundary. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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