Spring Mountain Ranch

Another place to visit other than "the strip" while in Las Vegas is Spring Mountain Ranch. This area, about 20 mi (32 km) from Las Vegas and a just a short ride from Red Rock Canyon has an incredibly rich and fascinating history as well as a wide range of natural resources.

The ranch offers a diverse opportunity for plant study. Four plant communities are represented: Desert Scrub, Black brush, Pinon-Juniper, and Riparian. Plants typical of the desert as well as woodland can be seen, and with adequate rainfall the spring brings a burst of wildflowers. Common species sighted are desert marigold, globe mallow, brittlebush, Joshua Tree, Mojave yucca, and indigo bush. Animal life is diverse but nocturnal, so many species go unseen. Typical desert animals include a variety of lizards and snakes, antelope, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, kit foxes, and coyotes, rock squirrel, badger, mule deer, and bighorn sheep.

Historically the ranch has its beginnings as a campsite and part of a trade route in the 1830's, for the rest of the 19th century its history is the stuff of cowboy and western movies, complete with raids, shootouts and outlaws. You can read more about it here.

Then in 1955 Vera Krupp, wife of Alfried Krupp of the German Krupp Company fame, purchased the ranch and ran it as a cattle ranch until she sold it to the Hughes Corporation in 1967, yes, the one that Howard Hughes owned. Vera had her own history, she had a huge diamond which Elizabeth Taylor later owned. But before that in 1959 armed robbers tried to take the massive diamond from Vera, you can read the whole story here.

Spring Mountain Ranch Visitor Information Website >>