Overview

Corn Creek is a tiny spot of green in a vast sea of desert-dry Mojave Desert Scrub. Springs provide water that supports trees, lush vegetation, desert wildlife, and even humans over the last few thousands of years. The ancients left their marks on the land, but most evidence of human use derives from pioneer and more recent times. White settlers farmed the area, and their orchard still produces fruit. A cabin, built with railroad ties, links the area to the rise and fall of local mining and industrialization. Bootleggers are said to have used the area too. Currently, the area is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Desert National Wildlife Range, the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 States. This area has been a birdwatching destination for decades, and now the 0.4-mile Birdsong Trail opens a bit of riparian habitat to the north of the traditional birding area.

Link to Area Map or Site Map.

Most of the habitat immediately surrounding Corn Creek is low-elevation Mojave Desert Scrub dominated by creosote bush, white bursage, fourwing saltbush, and a few Mojave yucca). This area is in the rain shadow of the Spring Mountains, so it gets less rain than usual, even for a desert, and as a result, the vegetation is sparse and stunted.

Springs at Corn Creek provide water for a desert oasis supporting honey mesquite, cottonwood trees, and many other wetland plant species. Water from two of the springs was used by late-1800s homesteaders to support a farm, and these two springs still water three ponds and the trees, grass, and orchards that remain.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a safe hike if hikers stay on the trails as is requested by refuge management.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Even though this hike is short, bring what you need of the 10 Essentials. Also, this is a wildlife refuge, so pay extra attention to respecting the land and wildlife.

Getting to the Trailhead

Corn Creek is located northwest of Las Vegas on the Desert National Wildlife Range, about 30 minutes northwest of downtown Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive north on Highway 95 for about 30 minutes. Pass the turnoff to Mt. Charleston and pass the turnoff to the Las Vegas Paiute Indian Reservation (the highway goes under an overpass). About 6 miles past the overpass, the turnoff to Corn Creek (Table 1, Site 0350) is marked by a small refuge sign, a Corn Creek Road sign, and a well-graded, gravel road heading east across the desert. Turn right onto Corn Creek and drive east for 3.8 miles to the parking area (Site 0106), which is located on the far side of the Refuge Headquarters buildings.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 01), the trail runs north along the east side of the new cement pond, passing a spur trail (Wpt. 02) that leads to the two springs that supported the homestead and farm.

The trail wraps around the north side of the cement pond and intersects a service road (Wpt. 03). The route turns right and follows the road or a parallel trail northward to the restored Railroad Tie Cabin (Wpt. 04).

Following the service road around to the west, at about 65 yards past the cabin, the Birdsong Trail turns off the road (Wpt. 05) and runs north into the desert scrub. There are no signs, but this is the actual start of the Birdsong Trail. The trail is lined with rocks and sticks well enough to tell where it goes.

Heading north, the low shrubs mostly are fourwing saltbush, and the taller thicket trees are Russian olive and honey mesquite. The olive produces fruits eaten by many species of birds, and the mesquite supports large growths of mesquite mistletoe, the berries of which feed lots of Phainopepla. This is also a good area to watch for Crissal Thrashers, Verdins, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Black-tailed Gnatcatchers.

Continuing, the trail passes through an old fence (Wpt. 06). In the 1950s and 1960s, these fences were part of the pens in which wildlife managers maintained a herd of bighorn sheep. Fortunately for the sheep, they get to live in the mountains these days.

Just past the fence, the trail passes the first of several wet areas. The spring is overgrown with common reed grass and other wetland species, but the water brings in birds and other wildlife. The trail continues north for a short ways farther, then turns to the west and runs out along a barren patch of white soils. This soil is a "spring deposit," the result of water flowing out of an aquifer and depositing minerals over the centuries. This would be mud if it were wet, so this might not be the best trail in wet weather.

The trail runs out a ridge of spring deposit to a highpoint (Wpt. 07). It is hard to tell if the landscape here is entirely natural or if people modified it during the last 130 years, but the berm-like highpoint provides an elevated position to look out on the landscape and scan for birds. Be sure to look up for Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Common Raven, Turkey Vultures, and other soaring birds.

The ditch below the highpoint carries water, as does a spring hidden in the mesquite just south of the highpoint. Water supports wetland vegetation, mesquite thickets, cottonwood trees, and other shrubs. Watch for Wilson's Warblers, Marsh Wrens, and Red-winged Blackbirds in the cattails; Yellow Warblers, Lucy's Warblers, and Western Tanagers in the trees; Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and Olive-sides Flycatchers on various perches around the area, and even look for nesting Black-chinned Hummingbirds in the mesquite thickets. Check the trees and logs on the ground for Yellow-backed Spiny Lizards.

Continuing, the trail runs down stairs on the west end of the spring deposit ridge, crossing a short bridge (Wpt. 08) over an outflow stream (trickle) from a spring, and heads down into more typical desert vegetation (Wpt. 09). Here, creosote bush and white bursage, species characteristic of the Mojave Desert, are common. Be sure to watch on the rocks lining the trail for side-blotched lizards.

The Birdsong Trail, proper, ends when it returns to the service road (Wpt. 10), this time adjacent to the chain-link fence surrounding the boneyard (the refuge maintenance yard).

Turning to the left and heading east on the service road, the road can be followed back towards the Railroad Tie Cabin, retracing the trail back to the trailhead. Alternatively, consider following the road back for about 500 feet (Wpt. 11), and turning right onto a trail that runs south between Pond 2 and Pond 3.

Just past the ponds (Wpt. 12), the trail back turns left along the south edge of Pond 2 and runs westerly past the pasture, orchard, and stream to the cement pond (Wpt. 03). All of these are good birding areas. The route then runs back around the cement pond to the trailhead (Wpt. 01). On the way back, consider walking up to the two springs (Wpt. 20) that feed the ponds.