Five recreational sports to do in the area
It's cooling down and the urge to go outside to do something looms large. This region has plenty of recreational activities to do. Fall is almost here and that means with it comes the much cooler temperatures. I mean after being cooped up in air-conditioned offices and my house all summer, it's time to go outside and explore the world.
1. Pahrump is made for off-roading. Take your four-wheel drive and hit some of the great spots off of Wheeler Pass. I love taking my 4x4 truck out into the desert around town. Pahrump has fantastic dirt roads to explore. I just recently took my wife up to Wheeler Summit. On the way to the summit which takes a good three hours to get to from Pahrump, we stopped to take a look at some charcoal kilns left behind by the native tribes in the area. Then we took our picnic lunch and ate at Wheeler Well and watched the deer drink.
The good thing about the roads up in the Spring Mountains is there are signs. The bad thing is not all the roads have signs. You have to be careful up there and just be prepared to get lost. The trails leading up to the summit really don't require a lot of four-wheeling experience, but once you head over to the other side, I would say it goes from a beginner trail to an intermediate trail. The road is rocky and sometimes washed out. It's slow going. The Pahrump Tourism Board has made a webpage with a map of all the trails to ride in the Pahrump area to attract more tourism to the valley (.http://visitpahrump.com/play/outdoors). The good thing about riding in Pahrump is that most of the time the trails are not crowded, depending on where you go.
2. I know this next one is almost the same as the one above, but I felt taking a quad around the trails in Pahrump was that much different. Quads or ATVs can go so to so many more places around this area that four-wheelers can't. One of my favorite trails to go on is the one that starts around Homestead and takes you south, toward Stump Springs and the Tecopa road. Allow a good half day to do this trip. You pass so many interesting things to see, like Mound Springs. Mound Springs is near a residential track off of Kellogg Road. It's still trickling out. Longtime residents have told me it went dry when the cotton fields were here, but came back when they stopped farming. The best thing about the trail that goes out to Tecopa is the many different types of terrain you encounter along the way. To put it mildly, if you take the road at a good clip, you will get airborne in some spots and the ride is like a roller coaster. Basically, how fast you take the trail will determine if the trail is beginning or intermediate. Also, unlike the Wheeler Pass area, which is national forest land and has signage, the trail to Tecopa is on Bureau of Land Management land and has no signs.
3. Go to Beatty and spend a night in the old mining town riding the newly-built trails at Spicer Ranch. The trip is around 70 miles and you're there in an hour. Spicer Ranch has camping available to try out the new trails. This could be a good weekend trip. The trails are for everyone, ranging from beginner trails to intermediate. The ranch just opened up seven miles of mountain biking trails. The Beatty area is also looking to attract more tourists to the area and are building more multiple use and mountain biking trails on BLM land. They want to complete 122 miles of new trails in five years. Go to this website for a map of new trails and info about camping and lodging in town. http://trails-ov.org/2015/07/31/blm-memorandum-of-understanding-signed/.
What is great about Beatty is that after you hit the trails you can get great grub in the town. My favorite is Mel's Diner and the Happy Burro. Both restaurants have plenty of food to keep a hungry biker satisfied. The Burro also has plenty of beer.
4. Death Valley hiking is the best when it starts to cool down in the fall and this coolness will last until April. The national park is just around 50 miles away and a good getaway for the day. Plus it's COOLER there in the fall. A good base of operations is Furnace Creek. My favorite place to hike is Badwater. This place is only 17 miles from Furnace Creek and is 280 feet below sea level. The place is famous because it's the lowest point in North America. The place is a great place to hike around because it looks like another planet. The hiking around the area ranges from beginner to intermediate level hikes depending on how far you go. I also like the area around Scotty's Castle. It has some great walks for beginners and you can start by taking the tour of the castle and learning some history about the area at the same time. For more info contact the castle at (760) 786-2392.
Go to this website for all the areas around the valley to hike: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/hiking.htm
5. Let's slow things down a bit. I know I was moving fast with all the four-wheeling. For those who just want to get outside near home, and kick the shoes off in the park, there is horseshoes at Petrack Park. I bet you didn't know that Pahrump even had a horseshoe pit. Well it does and it has one of the few naturally-shaded horseshoe pits. If you are just starting out, the local horseshoers even have a club willing to give you a few pointers. For Pahrump the horseshoers are most active on the weekends. Call Mike Norton for more info: 775-537-0542.
