Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Very nice place to explore and relax. A literal oasis in the middle of a barren desert. There are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the scenery, picnic, or camp. This is worth the day drive up from Las Vegas to see something a little different.

We visited in late October and the bird migration was in full swing. It was a great visit despite the closure of the visitor center. Clean restrooms. Nice walking trails.

Well worth the 2nd try! These 15 Lakeside camping spots are first come, first serve and free. So, of course, they can be challenging to get. On my way to the Great Basin NP, I tried to get an overnight spot at 8pm and didn't have any luck. I ended up staying across the highway, where there were about 10 other overnighters. And there was still plenty of room for others. On the way home, I tried again at 2 pm and snagged Camp spot 10. This is a beautiful place to unwind. You can't beat the views, the sound of the lake, and animal noises. It seems like most of the people here, just want peace and quiet. Most of the campsites are pretty spacious. They have a picnic bench, fire pit, and barbecue. There are volt toilets available. To reach the campsite, you do need to go down a dirt road for about a mile. The road seems to be well maintained and was easy to tow my 13-foot travel trailer on it. Both times I tried to get camp spots, there was a sign at the entrance that said the campground was full. I would recommend checking anyway. That's how I was able to snag a spot. Ignored the sign and checked anyway.

Beautiful setting! Kind of annoying the closed off access with boulders to be able to come in any entrance and drive around the lake. But still very scenic. Camping FCFS. Several different options for sites. A few would allow larger RVs but not all.

Beautiful little oasis in the desert. We stayed one night on our way home and it was a perfect little respite. Pit toilets. Reasonably clean. Picnic tables and BBQ grills. Fire rings.

We were trying to stay at the campground at the refuge. Google maps took us to the visitor centre. It was already dark out and we were done driving for the day. We stayed at the visitor centre parking lot. It was so quiet and peaceful and far enough off the highway that we hardly heard any highway noise. A few park workers glanced at us but nobody came and told us to leave. We walked around a nice little trail in the morning and went on our way.

An incredible oasis for wildlife right off Hwy 93. The visitor center has bathrooms and water available 7 days a week. There’s a day-use picnic area in the campground. A great place to take a break from driving.

Off hwy 93 in Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. #10 on Upper Pahranagat lake. Tables, grill, steel fire pit. First come first served. Free. Awesome campsite hosts. Hwy noise. Lots of birds. Lots of space around campsites. Dogs need to be on leads

It's a great place to understand how the birds migrate and what it takes to manage the wildlife refuge

Absolutely beautiful and peaceful place. Wonderful lake, teeming with wildlife, bats, herons, various birds.. quiet and dark at night. All of the camping spots are spacious, well laid out and with amazing lake views. The team here are very friendly and helpful. There's a perimeter path around the lake with benches every so often, so you can go for a walk or a cycle, or bird watching all around. There are also available restrooms sprinkled around the 'road side' of the lake. Highly recommend if you enjoy peace and quiet and being 'out in nature' - I certainly intend to return!

This is a peaceful refuge for wildlife and wild humans alike. I hikes from the visitor center up over the ridge and around Upper Pahranagat Lake. The setting sun set softened the edges of this natural Xanadu and felt at peace. Few people were around, maybe because it was winter, but I loved it because of its solitude. The wildlife refuge features three large lakes fed by underground springs, providing an oasis in a desert that receives less than 7 inches of annual rainfall. If I had to sum up the vibe at this park with one word? Serene.

This place is about a 2 hour drive north of Las Vegas and is beautiful, quiet, and in a remote location. All of the staff here are super friendly and the ones in the Visitor Center were very informative and gave us a lot of information. There are at least three hiking trails by the Visitor Center. Two of these hikes are both under a mile each and the third one is about 1.4 miles roundtrip to give you nice views. The lake and a nice camping spot is also very nearby. Recommendations: -Plan to spend at least a chunk of time here (like 3-4 hours) so you can do all the hikes and have a picnic to really enjoy the calm energy of this place. -Pack water, snacks, and a lunch as there isn't much around here. If you visit in the winter, it does get cold so dress appropriately and bring hats, gloves, etc. -Fall and Spring look like the best times to visit from what I read in the Visitor's Center, but I came in the winter and it was still nice (all though most of the plants had no color and most of the birds had migrated out of here)....what made it nice was how quiet and deserted it was. -The Visitor Center here has a lot of good information so take a moment to go in. Plus, the staff in there is very nice and informative. They even have a video you can watch and brochures on anything you may want to know.

I totally reccomend! * Tons of bugs/Hot but that's what happens when you camp in the summer. * Visitor center was really nice. * Loads of wildlife (birds, lizards, crickets, ducks, loons, toads). * Barely anyone was there. * Very scenic as you get views of the mountains and a lakeside access if you want to fish. * Bathrooms smelled good despite the fact there are pit toilets * About an hour and a half drive away from north las vegas

If you are looking for something cool to do, get off the beaten path and a all day activity off the strip, may I suggest checking out Pahranagat national Wildlife Refuge. My first thought is stop at the visitor center and grab some information from knowledgeable staff members about the area. Then either hit the trails right there or drive over to the upper lake side and check out some really amazing view of the mountain range, water foul migrating and jumping fish. There are 15 camping spaces that are first come first serve . There is a day camp/picnic area and cassette toilet's in the area. The closest town is Alamo which has 2 gas stations, a grocery store and other amenities. For those that have a overlander or high clearance vehicle, the 70 mile Alamo trail starts at the visitor center. Please note, those not from the area, be prepared for extreme weather during the summer and come prepared. Cell service is available but be prepared. I would say it's about a 2 hour drive from Las Vegas out to the Refuge. All in all, a great way to spend a day or weekend relaxing and soaking in some great scenery

The humor displayed by the gentleman charged with holding down the fort at the time of our visit was much like the surrounding desert: dry yet inviting. It's a beautiful place to hike and see the sights, with lots of information on the native Nuwuvi and of course the local wildlife. You may leave the PNWR with a firm belief that space aliens designed the Southwest US. Or not. Wait, did i actually say that?

Camped at the upper lake. The sites are clean, vault toilets clean. The sites are way too close to the highway, so it's noisy. Kayaked on lower lake. Launch is mucky, but nobody was around. Peaceful and easy fun. Birds on both lakes. Large variety. Lovely to listen to and try to identify. Walking trails around the upper lake. Park volunteer nice guy. Helpful with a small issue we had (with our gear, not the park).

Amazing get away not to far from Vegas went out during the week for a quick camping trip with my husband had a great time. Will definitely be coming back and recommend too anyone looking for a fun place too first time camp

What's there not to like? It's beautiful and peaceful in April! Spending four days here. The restrooms are very clean as is the entire campgrounds. If there was a downside it's US-93 is three hundred yards to the east so there is some traffic noise.

This is a short drive from Las Vegas and a great place to escape the desert for a few hours. Fantastic birding, we saw an osprey and egret just in a short afternoon. Definitely stop in the visitors center, it's very educational and we had a fantastic conversation with one of the volunteers there.

Another incredible national park only hours from Las Vegas! The great thing about this park is that it is great to visit year round. The summers are mild compared to those in Vegas, and the two pictures I took were taken in February when it was 60 degrees there. We didn't go far into the refuge but the roads are well maintained going back as far as we could see, and there are many places for RVs and campers to set up. There were well over 15 different groups of people set up camping, and that was again, just what we could see immediately. Everything was clean with very little trash anywhere. There are numerous bathrooms located throughout the area as well. They aren't 5-star hotel bathrooms, but they are clean and surprisingly don't smell too bad! :) Strongly recommend checking it out if you're in the area, or going for a special drive (especially during the hot Vegas summers)! Yelp 100 Review Challenge 2016: #25.

Wonderful spot to enjoy your outside activities. Well maintained and safe. It's a amazing oasis from Las Vegas heat

About 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge in Lincoln County. I've been coming here since I was a kid to fish/explore and the area is peaceful and enjoyable for all ages. There's a visitor center now and plenty of well paved trails outside of it that I recommend checking out. Paved parking can also be found outside of the visitors center. The refuge provides wetland and riparian habitats for tons of migratory birds, birds of prey, deer, reptiles, small mammals and rare fish. Have your camera ready! Camping is currently available at the upper lake and is free. You'll have the opportunity to see lakes, marshes, streams, wildlife and beautiful desert plants. On my last visit the visitors center was only open 4 days a week and it does offer interactive exhibits, movie room, brochures and a gift shop, but isn't as big as some of the other ones I have been to on refuges in NV so don't plan on spending a lot of time inside, but definitely check it out. In the Paiute language, Pahranagat can mean either "Valley of Shining Water," or "Feet Sticking in Water," and that makes sense given the amount of surrounding water, some coming from Crystal and Ash Springs. There's some shade from large trees near the upper lake, but in a lot of areas there's no shade, so have a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Dogs are welcome on leash.

This place is about 90 miles out of the city. US 93 North to be exact exit 64 going towards Ely. I've come here many times and I absolutely love it here. It's so peaceful and serene. You do see and hear the highway traffic, but it's not like being in the city. If you want to get away, come here!