BEYOND THE STRIP - PLACES TO SEE IN AND AROUND LAS VEGAS
Three Natural Wonders
With so much to see and do on Las Vegas Blvd. alone, visitors and new residents to Las Vegas often miss the extraordinary beauty of the Valley’s natural attractions.
For example, long before showgirls paraded across showroom stages, water cascaded from three underground springs in the Valley, creating the ‘birthplace’ of Las Vegas. Today, the site is being developed as the Springs Preserve, a 180-acre non-gaming cultural and historic attraction to open in May 2007.
The Springs Preserve offers a fun, educational and recreational gathering place featuring a living wildlife collection of over 150 animals indigenous to the desert, historic museums, galleries, a 2000-seat outdoor amphitheatre for concerts and events, a 2.5-mile interpretive trail system, a children’s outdoor play area, and an 8-acre botanical garden. Additionally, the Desert Living Center at Springs Preserve will be the first attraction of its kind in the nation with a focus on sustainable living.
Although the springs have long dried up, the site represents one of the richest and most unique cultural and biological resources in Southern Nevada. Around 5000 years ago, the artesian springs created an oasis in an otherwise desolate environment and nourished all life – plant, animal and human. Many hundreds of years later, the Las Vegas springs served Spanish traders of the early 19th century, who forged a path that became known as the Old Spanish Trail and christened the area ‘Las Vegas,’ which meant ‘the Meadows’ in their native tongue. Eventually, land near the springs was purchased by the railroad creating the Las Vegas town site.
Long after the springs had dried, the Nevada Legislature created the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which inherited the Las Vegas Springs property. In 1978, the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Springs Preserve is located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. between U.S. 95 and Alta Drive. For more information about Springs Preserve, visit www.springspreserve.org .
Another outdoor wonderland is Floyd Lamb State Park, which has four stocked ponds, picnic areas, barbecues, scenic paths and volleyball and horseshoe facilities on 2,040 acres in northwest Las Vegas valley.
Visitors to Floyd Lamb State Park can explore the Tule Springs Ranch, known as one of the best
examples of Pleistocene sites in Western North America. Thousands of years ago the Tule Springs area was home to mammoth, bison, horses, camels, giant sloths and other animals and their fossil remains have been found here.
More recently, Tule Springs was the home of John Herbert (Bert) Nay, and in 1916 he was the first non-Indian to file for water rights. As he acquired more property at Tule Springs, he built a blacksmith shop and a storage room. Nay sold his interest in the farm in 1928 when he moved to California.
The property remained vacant until prospector Jacob Goumond purchased the land to be a private retreat for his friends. He took advantage of Nevada's changing divorce laws and set up a dude ranch for prospective divorcees. The guests would wait out the six-month residency requirement for the divorce. This was the shortest waiting period in the country. The ranch became a resort area and was glamorized by movie stars who wanted a divorce.
Goumond's granddaughter inherited the ranch when he died in 1954. She sold it to a group of businessmen who formed the Tule Springs Investment Company. They leased out the ranch until the city of Las Vegas bought it in 1964. It was converted into a city park and renamed in honor of state Sen. Floyd Lamb.
In 1977 the park was acquired by the state through legislative action. Since then it has been operated and maintained by the Division of State Parks. Visitors with a Nevada fishing license can fish in any of the park's ponds but are limited to three fish per person.
For more information, visit http://www.vegas.com/sports/recreation/floydlamb.html .
Named Best Park/Nature Area and the Best Scenic Drive in Southern Nevada for 2006 by the reader’s of Nevada magazine, Valley of Fire State Park is located 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas in Overton, Nevada.
Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, dedicated 1935. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyph.
Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Basket Maker people and later the Anasazi Pueblo farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. The span of approximate occupation has been dated from 300 B.C. to 1150 A.D. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited the length of their stay. Fine examples of rock art left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.
The dominant plants in the area are creosote bush, burro bush, and brittle bush. Several cactus species, including beaver tail and cholla, are also common. The springtime bloom of such plants as the desert marigold, indigo bush, and desert mallow are often spectacular along park roads. Resident birds include the raven, house finch, sage sparrow, and roadrunner. Most desert animals are nocturnal and not frequently seen by the passing motorist. Many species of lizards and snakes are common in the park, as well as the coyote, kit fox, spotted skunk, black tailed jack rabbit, and antelope ground squirrel. The desert tortoise is a rare species and is protected by state law.
Popular activities include camping, hiking, picnicking and photography. The park offers a full-scale visitor center with extensive interpretive displays. Several group use areas are also available. The park is open all year. For more information, visit http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm .
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