Description

Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs is located on the broad, flat northwestern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. Although the overall lay of the land is open and flat, the park sits on low rolling hills that are the result of spring deposits (mud) that built up over the millennia. Springs that emerge on park property feed four small lakes and provide water for groves of trees and expansive lawns. Beyond the built up area, the park stretches out into the open desert, encompassing a total of 2,040 acres.

This area once was a desert oasis far beyond the edge of town, but urban sprawl recently has swallow it up, and Floyd Lamb is now an urban park near the edge of town. However, the park still protects some 2,040 acres of open space, four small lakes, groves of trees, desert areas, and typical grassy urban-park-type areas. As town grows, this area (perhaps like Central Park in New York City) will become increasingly valuable as a place for people and wildlife to seek refuge from urban life.

This area was used by large prehistoric mammals, and the fossilized remains of several species (e.g., horses, camels, giant sloths, mammoths, and bison) have been found. The area later was used by Native Americans and then by white travelers. The area was then "settled" and used for cattle and dude ranching, and the remains of these activities are now protected as the Tule Springs Ranch Historic Area. In 1964, the ranch became public land.

Activities in the park include bird watching, fishing, learning about local and prehistoric history, picnicking, walking, and shooting (shotgun range). The lakes are open for fishing (catfish during summer, trout during winter, and bass and sunfish all year). Facilities include picnic areas with covered tables and grills, restrooms, group picnic areas, and paved paths that wind through the developed portions of the park. The gun range on the edge of the developed area can interfere with solitude and listening for birds, but with residential areas crowding the park, the days of the gun range surely are limited.

Location

Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs is located in the northwest part of Las Vegas, about 15 miles (20 minutes) from downtown.

From downtown, drive north on Highway 95 to Durango Road. Exit the highway and turn right onto Durango. At this point, Durango runs diagonally to the northeast. Follow Durango as it curves to the left (north) and continue for about half-a-mile to Brent Lane. Watch for brown park signs. Turn right onto Brent Lane and drive east into the park (Table 1, Site 587).

Hours

The park is open daily. During winter, hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. During summer, hours are 8 AM to 8 PM. The closing time varies during the years, generally matching sunset.

Fees

Admission costs $6 per vehicle per day. Annual permits are available

Specialties

Check the ponds for domestic and wild waterfowl (including ducks, geese, and grebes); check the tule marshes for Yellow-headed and Redwing Blackbirds, Marsh Wrens, and wading birds; and check the trees and shrubs for phoebes, warblers, towhees, and sparrows. Owls can sometimes be seen in the trees, and Greater Roadrunners prowl the picnic areas. Large numbers of sparrows can be found on the mowed lawns around the ponds and on the grassy edges of the ponds. A fair number of peacocks roam the park grounds too.

With the urban sprawl, the bird mix should change. It will be interesting to see who comes and who goes, but there probably will be fewer desert species as these birds retreat northward ahead of the housing developments.

Tule Springs is one of the best Pleistocene paleontology sites in Western North America, so be sure to read the signs and contemplate life we some 20,000 years ago when the environment was wetter than today.

For More Information

Visit the official park website or write the park at: Floyd Lamb Park, 9200 Tule Springs Road, Las Vegas, NV 89131.