Desert Destination: Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 93, was established in 1963 to provide habitat for migratory birds, especially waterfowl. The 5,300-acre protected area contains lakes, marshes, and meadows, all of which are rare habitats in Nevada. It is part of the Pacific flyway, an important migratory route.

Pahranagat has two lakes, Upper and Lower, along with two marshes, North and Middle. The mix of vegetation and water depths provide food and shelter for more than 230 species of wildlife. The water component of Pahranagat is essential for most wildlife species, and comes from sources further up the valley, such as Ash Springs.

When we went by in early February, Lower Pahrangat Lake was covered with birds--thousands of them. 

This is the shallower of the two lakes, so it is often covered with dabbling ducks--those ducks that tip over with their tail feathers high in the sky as they reach down to eat aquatic vegetation and insects that are slightly below the surface. Easily identified dabbling ducks are mallards and green-winged teals.

It looked like the most common birds were American coots--small black birds with stubby white beaks. They were bobbing along on the waves in the windy afternoon.

A highway parallels the lakes and marshes of Pahranagat NWR. You can see that it's winter by the leafless cottonwoods. A couple old roads run between the highway and the lakes, allowing you to enjoy the view at a slower pace.

One of the first things to see at the turnoff to Upper Pahrangat Lake is this bird blind, built by a Youth Conservation Crew in 2008. There are a couple benches inside, where you can hide out and let the birds forget you and get closer.

Besides wildlife watching, hunting and fishing are popular activities at the national wildlife refuge.

Further down the road is the Visitor Information Center, a tiny building. An information kiosk is next to it to provide an orientation to the 32,000 visitors who get off the highway to visit the refuge. The full-time staff of Pahranagat NWR consists of two employees, so needless to say, they are always looking for good volunteers and interns.

There's a nice picnic area with a shelter over it near the visitor information center. 

One of the attractions of Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is free camping. About a dozen campsites are located right next to the lake. They are simple, with just a picnic table and grill, so you have to bring all your amenities (including drinking water). The view is spectacular, especially considering the price!

If you don't want to camp, there's a three-mile long trail around Upper Pahranagat Lake. There's also a wheelchair accessible fishing pier at the south end. Winter is obviously not a good time to try fishing from the pier.

However, winter is an excellent time to visit the refuge, especially if you like birds. Thousands of water birds use the lakes as wintering areas, including hundreds of tundra swans. The upper lake is deeper and is used by many diving ducks like canvasbacks and lesser scaups. The diving ducks have their legs further back on their bodies and are heavier than dabbling ducks, so when they take off from the water, they have to run on it first to get up enough speed.

The day we visited, there was only one person camping and no one else visiting the refuge. Even though it's right next to a highway, it's a beautiful spot to take a break and feel like you're far from everyone. To find out more, visit the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge website.

A Family Hike

We needed to escape the desert heat, so we headed up high again, this time with the cousins and their parents. We drove up to 10,000 feet elevation, and right off it felt so much better. Our destination was Bald Mountain, at about 11,500 feet. It was the first attempt to climb a mountain peak for some of the cousins, and they were very excited. Or maybe you can't tell, because little girl in the foreground is trying to kick her brother. Yes, we're a peaceful and quiet family. Well, some of the time.

We didn't stay on the trail all that long, because there isn't a trail up to the top of Bald Mountain. The cousins thought it was fun to lead the way. The aspen groves gave way to the low, bent trees of limber pine and Engelmann spruce. Then the trees stopped and we walked on talus. Small patches of flowers and grasses provided bits of green in the landscape.

Although Bald Mountain is pretty high, it's not that high compared to Wheeler Peak and Jeff Davis, which you can see in the background. I like having such great views when I'm hiking, because when I'm gasping for oxygen I can always say that I'm taking a break to enjoy the view. Or to take a photograph.

I like to take lots of photographs when I'm hiking up high. So I can get lots of oxygen. This pretty flower presented a good reason to stop forcing my body against gravity. 

But I kept trudging along, and we all made it to the top. It was cold and windy, and we huddled behind a rock cairn and ate lunch. See the clouds in the background? We're still in monsoon season, so we had to eat fast because it was starting to thunder in the distance.

Here you can see more clouds. We felt kind of exposed. It was hard to believe that just a few short hours before we had been sweltering on the valley floor in the desert heat. I was proud of the cousins climbing the mountain and being such good sports about it.

Desert Boy enjoyed most of the trip. But he doesn't like to stop to take photos. After all, he doesn't need the extra oxygen! 

We thought we could get a nice family shot on top of the mountain. But Desert Boy's patience had run out, so all we have are a bunch of photos with a red-faced, crying kid. So don't look at us, just enjoy the scenery!

Point Reyes National Seashore

While we were out in California, we decided to go to Point Reyes National Seashore, a place we had never visited before. My husband's sister and her family were our gracious guides.

Our first sightseeing moment was the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the overlook on the north side and learning a few tidbits about the bridge, like it was built in 1937 and painted International Orange.

It was windy and raining, so we didn't stay long. But of course we (meaning compulsive me) had to take a few photos, and we had some willing models.

Our plan was to head up Highway 1 to the National Seashore, but that way was flooded, so we had to take an alternate route. The alternate route took us through a redwood tree grove (ah, those lovely trees!) and was quite scenic. I was really enjoying a total change of scenery, and cousin Lola was in the backseat, keeping Desert Girl and Desert Boy happily entertained.

When we got to the main visitor center, we looked at some of the exhibits, ate our picnic lunch, and then decided to head out to the lighthouse.

This was the view from the parking area at the lighthouse. The storm clouds just added to the dramatic scenery.
We found a short trail that went to a viewpoint, and took it to stretch our legs.

We were glad to have rain gear!

Ruby and her mom.

The ocean was a long way below us, but its effect on the landscape and vegetation was obvious. The vegetation was fairly short, having adapted to a rather harsh climate.

Next up was the trail to the lighthouse.

The direction of the prevailing wind was obvious by the lean of these trees. Ruby looks like she's enjoying a walk in the park!

Some black-tailed deer were munching on the vegetation, not particularly afraid of human visitors.
Then we got to a tiny visitor center and a set of stairs leading to the lighthouse, set on the cliffs below.

Not too many people were braving the weather, so we nearly had it to ourselves, even though it was a weekend. And the sun came out for a few brief moments.

It was about a 300 foot descent to get to the lighthouse, over 300 stairs.

The foghorn and light were automated years ago and are now housed in this little shack. Not nearly as picturesque as a real lighthouse!

Due to the height of the cliffs, they didn't need to build a tall lighthouse. In fact, it was a challenge to get all the materials to this location. In addition, they had no fresh water source except for what fell from the sky, so they built a cistern and collection basin.

It would have been a rather lonely life as a light house keeper, and I think I might have gone slightly mad seeing the ocean but not having an easy way to get down to it.

My brother Ed enjoyed the scenery, too.

After checking out the area, it was time to head back up. I had Emma in the front carrier, so I was ready for a good cardio workout.

And up. They had painted numbers on the steps so you knew how many more you had to go.

On one step I found this neat little snail.

It sure was a strange-looking creature!

We got to see the beach to the north again on the trek back to the parking area, along with the slug-like elephant seals that were on the beach.

A break in the rain meant it was time for some goofing off in the parking lot.

Emma was fascinated with the dog.

After a quick snack, we decided to head to the beach, where dogs were allowed (they weren't allowed on trails in the national seashore).

This was some of the landscape we drove through to get there, green pastures with lots of cows. Ranching was a historical use of this area, and many ranches are still in operation within the national seashore.

Some of the cows were dairy cows, while others were beef cows.

We parked in a huge parking lot and were virtually the only vehicles. Apparently there's a lot more visitation in the summer!

Despite it being December and wearing winter coats, some of us still had to take off our shoes and socks and run through the sand!

Desert Boy and Lola decided to play the wave game, trying to just let their feet get wet.

The shore was a little on the steep side, so it was hard to judge how big the waves would be.

They got some good exercise running back and forth.

Desert Boy was absolutely fascinated with the waves. After all, he doesn't get to spend much time at the ocean.

He was spellbound.

Will my toes get wet?

And to see the action, click on the video below.



Before we left the beach, it was time for a family photo.

Thanks for the good memories!