Desert National Wildlife Refuge

About Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Encompassing six major mountain ranges and seven distinct life zones, Desert NWR showcases the abundance and variety of nature that can be found in Southern Nevada, all just a short drive from Las Vegas. Created in 1936 to provide habitat and protection for desert bighorn sheep and other desert wildlife, Desert NWR is the largest wildlife refuge outside of Alaska. At 1.6 million acres (643,000 hectares), the refuge can cover Rhode Island twice - and still have enough room left over for a quarter of a million football fields. Teeming with diversity over a vast landscape, Desert NWR boasts over 500 plant species as it transitions from the Mojave to the Great Basin Desert. While Desert NWR has been home to people for thousands of years, from Newe (Western Shoshone) and Nuwu/Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute/Chemehuevi) to ranch homesteaders, the refuge still remains largely unchanged by human hands. Over 1.3 million acres (536,000 hectares) of the refuge is proposed wilderness and has been managed as de facto wilderness since 1974. See collared lizards sunning on rocks, hunt for tracks of elusive mountain lions, or grab your binoculars for a better look at our 320 bird species. A unique and solitary experience awaits you at Desert NWR.

How to Get There

Traveling North on US-95 from Las Vegas: Take US-95 North. 6 miles (9.5 km) past the Snow Mountain exit, at mile marker 101, turn right on Corn Creek Road. Continue down the paved road 4 miles to the Visitor Center. Traveling South on US-95: Take US-95 South. 4.5 miles (7 km) past Lee Canyon Road/NV-156, at mile marker 101, turn left on Corn Creek Road. Continue down the paved road 4 miles to the Visitor Center. From Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge: On US-93 in Lincoln County, turn into the refuge office road at mile marker 32. Continue on Alamo Road, bearing right at the refuge office. Continue 2.25 miles (3.5 km) to border of Desert NWR. From US-93: Desert NWR can also be entered on the east side at Mormon Well Road. The turn-off is located 2 miles (3 km) south of the exit for NV-168 on US-93, at mile marker 80. If heading northbound, the turn-off is located approximately 32 miles (51.5 km) from the I-15/US-93 intersection. Please note that these alternate entrances do not always connect to the Visitor Center.Please check current road conditions before planning your trip.

Plan Your Visit to Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Heading to Desert National Wildlife Refuge? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)