Field Trip – Spring Mountain Ranch State Park

It’s been a month or so since my last post and time sure has flown by.  We’ve been busy getting out and enjoying the beautiful spring weather before it heats up for the summer.   I can’t believe it took us so long to visit Spring Mountain Ranch.  It’s just a quick drive outside of Las Vegas.  I think this was one of our favorite nature study field trips so far.  Most of the families in our nature study group head home from these outings after about 2 hours.  There are a few families with younger kids that usually stick around longer.  The younger kids also lag behind the rest of the group and this trip was no exception.  I think we were there for almost five hours. 

 

This is the newest ranch house which was turned into a museum with a self-guided tour.  This was closed on the day we were there due to a shortage of volunteers.  We were told to call the day before coming and they should be able to tell us if it will be open.  This is a great resource in our community to learn about the history of the early settlers of southern Nevada.  The old ranch buildings are still standing and there are many opportunities in the spring and fall to see living history programs.  You can find more information on their website.  Here are some highlights of our visit.

 

Right after turning up the road to the entrance we spotted five wild burros hanging out on the side of the road.  The others were a bit hidden by the Joshua trees but this one watched us intently for several minutes.  They’re very common here and not all that shy around humans.  But they’re still wild so keep your distance.

 

There’s a trail that leads from the parking and picnic area to the lake.  Along the path are the original ranch houses.   These are blocked off unless you are on a tour.  A few times a few year, they have big community events like pioneer days.  They have tours and demos around the houses.  We’ll be back another day to get a closer look.

 

 

These are Western Tent Caterpillars which weave a tent around themselves for protection.  They crawl out of the tent to eat and then climb back in.  We’ve seen many of these on our adventures but I don’t think we’ve actually seen one emerge.  Here are some great pictures and more information from the USDA Forest Service.

 

They call this a lake but this would definitely be more like a pond where I grew up.  There’s an easy walking trail that goes all the way around.  There are “no swimming” signs posted but it’s really hard to keep the girls out of water.  They briefly waded in up to their ankles, dug into the mud, and fished with long sticks that they gathered.  I brought along a change of clothes for Comedian because we were at the end of potty training and you never know where the nearest bathroom is on these nature adventures.  As I grabbed her extra clothes, I figured that I should bring some for Storyteller just in case.  They really came in handy because the girls ended up soaking wet.

 

A few weeks later I was talking to a Ranger working at a Nevada State Parks booth at the county fair.  He happened to be from this park and mentioned that they offer free 1 1/2 to 2 hour presentations for school groups, including homeschoolers.  When the presentation is scheduled, they will guarantee that the ranch house is open.  For this visit, our group just showed up but it would be fun to arrange for the presentation next time.

The weather is cooler out there than in the city so this will be a great place to go during the summer. They have many events but they’re not all listed on their website. Check out their Facebook page for a more up to date listing. It looks like our nature study group will be returning soon so we’re looking forward to another great day exploring with friends!