Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
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Despite the fact we’d like to leave on a road trip ASAP, I’ve negotiated with David to take one day a week off from Blanche’s upfit. “All work and no play make … “, well, you can finish the rest of this old adage yourself. The deal is, however: it must not be a wasted day of doing nothing and it must be local. Oh, yeah, and it should not include shopping… except Lowes or the Home Depot. Not a problem… I had it covered.
No Las Vegas bear poppies this visit… maybe next time.
I’d read about a newly established national park area only about 20 miles north of Las Vegas. The Tule (too-lee) Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was created in 2014 to protect Ice Age paleontological discoveries. The 22,650-acre monument is administered by the National Park Service. Located in an area called the Upper Las Vegas Wash, the area also includes several patches of the rare Las Vegas bear poppy with which I am unfamiliar. Additionally, the State of Nevada has annexed an adjacent area as the new Ice Age Fossils State Park.
Our GPS took us to a barren area with an info kiosk and not much else. Fortunately, the displayed map showed us an alternate entrance to the park and we rerouted to the southern entrance.
As with most newly established national parks, there’s not much there yet: no facilities, no visitor center, no restrooms, no water. It’s all in the planning stages. There is, however, a 3.25 mile loop walking trail. The path is well-marked, sand and dirt and easy-walking, but there is no cover from the sun, so summertime walks will probably be inadvisable. There were a surprising number of people walking on the trail.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, “An intense drought in the American Southwest has become so severe that it's now the driest 22-year period in the region in 12,000 years”. The park appears to be a barren wasteland and it’s hard to imagine that this area was once a verdant, lush oasis. According to the park brochure, mammoths, camels, giant North American lions, saber-toothed cats, giant sloths, and horses roamed the area between 12,500-100,000 years ago. ‘Tule Springs has one of the largest and most diverse Late Pleistocene (Ice Age) fossil assemblages in the American Southwest.”
Evidently, with close scrutiny, there are lots of smaller fossils to be found which, of course, cannot be kept. Instead, it’s requested that the location be noted and a photo of the found treasure be sent to NPS for further investigation and classification. There is a ‘Big Dig’ in progress at the adjoining Ice Age Fossils State Park, but that too is not yet open to the public.
Mt. Charleston was snow-clad and beautiful, shimmering in the sunlight.
In the meantime, we were content to walk and chat on a gorgeous winter day in Las Vegas. The sky was brilliant blue and clear. Snow-clad Mount Charleston and the adjoining mountain peaks were shimmering in the sunshine. Every once in awhile, we’d catch a glimpse of the city… the top of the Strat tower was especially notable… reminding us we weren’t far away from the urban hubbub. We’re looking forward to a return visit when planned facilities are complete. It’s nice to have a national monument in our backyard.