Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Located within the Pacific Flyway, the 5,380-acre Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge provides high quality wintering and migration habitat for waterfowl and other migrating birds. The property is located at the southern end of the Pahranagat (Paiute, meaning "a valley of shining waters") Valley in Lincoln County, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. This is an area that often sees peregrine falcons, bald eagles and southwestern willow flycatchers in the air and desert tortoise on the ground (all either threatened or endangered species). While the lakes and marshes of Pahranagat are a rare sight in this part of Nevada, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working on the property to restore the wetlands and desert upland habitats to the way they were before the European settlers first arrived. The water here comes from several large springs further north in the valley, and it flows through the ancient underground channels of the now-dry White River. The water flows up through several large, thermal springs along the flood plain in the Refuge and is managed to support various types of wetland habitats and the plants most favored for food purposes by more than 230 species of migratory birds and other local wildlife. Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge stretches about 10 miles in a narrow strip along the valley floor encompassing 2 lakes, 2 large marshes, several smaller wetlands and the surrounding desert uplands. Most folks come here for camping, picnicking, fishing, wildlife observation, photography and hunting (in the fall).