Description

The Moapa Valley is a broad, flat area set in dry Mojave Desert Scrub between two limestone mountains ranges. Water emerges from several springs, including hot springs at about 88°F, in the upper end of the valley to create a fairly large riparian and oasis area. Water from the springs converges downstream to form a fairly large stream (the Moapa River). People have lived in the area for thousands of years, and much of the land is now used for farmland or pasture. Much of the rest of the valley is thickets of fan palms, date palms, and honey mesquite.

At the upper end of the valley, the US Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Moapa National Wildlife Refuge, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority manages the Warm Springs Preserve. The road between the two areas provides birding opportunities for people willing to look over the fence.

The Wildlife Refuge area (west of the road) was an old resort with hot springs, pools, buildings, palm trees, and brushy thickets. This area is now closed to the public, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has been working to restore the oasis. I'm not sure when they expect to reopen the area to the general public, but it is now open only on special occasions such at Public Lands Day and sometimes on weekends.

The Warm Springs Preserve area (east of the road) was part of the resort, and the Water Authority is working to restore the area with distant plans to open it to the public.

The Upper Moapa Valley suffered a huge fire that killed many of the palms and cleared out many of the shrub thickets. The area is now more open, so it might actually be easier to bird from the road.

Bird the area by walking the road, being careful of the traffic. The road is posted at 25 mph, but don't bet your life that people drive the speed limit. The shoulders are narrow, so pay attention to the traffic. Traffic generally is light, so you can bird the rest of the valley by driving slowly and stopping to investigate interesting spots from the road.

Location

The Moapa National Wildlife Refuge is located northwest of Moapa, about 1.25 hours from Las Vegas.

To get there from Las Vegas, drive north on Highway I-15 to Glendale (Table 1, Site 879). Exit the Interstate and drive northwest on Highway 168 for 7.0 miles to Warm Springs Road (Site 898). Turn left (southwest), and drive for about 2 more miles. When you see the chain link fence capped with barbed wire on both sides of the road, you are there (Site 449). Park on either side of the road.

For some variety on the way home, continue driving northwest on Warm Spring Road until it intersects Highway 168 again. Turn left (northwest) and drive 14 miles to Highway 93. Turn left (south) and head back to Interstate-15. These roads traverse some beautiful desert landscapes. The land south of Highway 168 and east of Highway 93 is the Arrow Canyon Wilderness Area.

Hours

The road is always open (well, sort of). It probably should be considered day-use only. The Wildlife Refuge is open only on special occasions, and the Warm Springs Preserve is not yet open to the public.

Fees

None.

Specialties

The area is good for desert species such as Phainopepla, Abert's Towhee, Verdin, Black Phoebe, Gambel's Quail, and Lucy's Warbler, and migrants such as Red-shouldered Hawk, Killdeer, Hooded Oriole, sparrows, and warblers. Watch for the endemic fish (Moapa Dace, Moapa White River Springfish) and snails (Moapa Pebblesnails) too.

If you are lucky enough to get into the Wildlife Refuge, the new fish viewing exhibit is excellent, providing a side view of a stream. Looking into the water, visitors can see the endemic fish and snails close-up.