Wetlands in the desert? Who'd 'a thunk it?
When we were looking for things to do in Las Vegas, aside from the usual fare I mentioned in my last post that we were trying to avoid, the Clark County Wetlands Park was recommended to us. I was intrigued. I've noted before that I was never really a fan of the American desert southwest. My trifling knowledge of the geological features and other attractions reflected that lack of interest. I never imagined there could be wetlands. When we saw there were hiking trails, we had to add this to our itinerary.
Covering 2900 acres on the southeastern edge of Las Vegas, extending to Henderson, the park dates back only as far as a bond issue passed in 1991, so it's fairly new. It comprises a nature center, a nature preserve, natural resources, and hiking and biking trails. Kim and I paid a visit early during our extended time in Las Vegas. It was less than 5 miles from the Thousand Trails RV park where we were encamped our first two weeks. Since our primary motivation was to get a little exercise and view the wonders of this oasis, we passed over the nature center. It was already mid-afternoon, so it was closing soon anyway.
For our hike, we more or less stuck to the perimiter of the nature preserve, crossing from one trail to the next when they turned inward (see the hiking map linked above). We also crossed the Big Weir Bridge and sojourned as far as the nearest shelter on the Sunrise Trail. This diversion whet my appetite for a return visit with my bike for a ride across the desert area to Terrazza Park on the far end of the wetlands (see the link above to the biking map).
The Nature Center. Maybe next time.
A cascade in the desert. Though it's difficult to see, if you zoom on the upper left corner of the image, you might make out a flock of black-feathered, white-beaked birds in the water, paddling against the current. Might be a little much to ask of the resolution on my older iPhone.
The famous Las Vegas Strip, visible in the distance. It looks farther away in the photo than it seemed when we were there. Hard to fathom that this landscape was so close to the neon action.
