An oasis in the Mohave Desert, the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit if desert beauty appeals to you.  Small streams meander throughout the site, filled with tiny fish, and a few boardwalk trails with interpretive signs allow you to get right next to the streams and watch the pupfish zip about. The refuge contains 24,000 acres of spring fed wetlands, alkali uplands, and 30 endemic species of plants and animals (endemic = they only live in this area, nowhere else).

The sands in the creek are light green, and deeper waters are intensely hued, reflecting blue skies above.  The boardwalk trail next to the visitor center traverses a large alkali flat then follows the meanders of Cottonwood Creek.  At the head of the creek lies a deep, intensely blue pond, with swirling sands, filled by an artesian spring.




A very appealing Visitor Center provides interpretive exhibits, films and details about the refuge.  The refuge is about an hour's drive East of Death Valley National Park, with the last few miles accessed by a rough dirt road.  More information about the Ash Meadows Refuge can be found HERE.

A few miles from the VC lies Devils Hole, a special area that is  managed by Death Valley National Park and contains a unique population of pupfish that are endemic just to that hole.  The area is fenced in, with a viewing platform and interpretive sign.  The platform overlooks what appears to be a crack with a bit of water, but is actually an extensive underground water filled cave system.  The pupfish live just in the shallow water exposed to the surface.  More information about Devils Hole can be found HERE.