Moapa Valley
Moapa, NV 89025
Plan Your Visit
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from September through May.
Activities
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge is only 136 acres in size, and offers activities that can be enjoyed within a leisurely day.
- Take a streamside stroll through the oasis while looking for dragonflies and hummingbirds
- Visit the stream viewing window to glimpse into the underwater world of the endangered Moapa dace, Moapa White River springfish, and other aquatic wildlife
- Learn more about the refuge, local wildlife, and the Moapa Valley from informative displays
- Pack a lunch to enjoy in the pavilion, offering shade and picnic tables
- Go for a walk on the Overlook Trail, a half-mile, moderately challenging loop offering views of the valley oasis.
Rules and Policies
There are many interesting and educational things to see on the refuge. Please check with the staff before participating in an activity that could harm you, other people, wildlife, or habitats. The Service wants all visitors to enjoy the refuge while helping to protect it by following these rules and regulations:
- All motorized vehicles must be parked in the parking lot.
- No bicycles are allowed on the trails or pathways.
- Drones are prohibited on the refuge.
- Stay on marked trails and pathways.
- Dogs must be leashed at all times and must be kept on marked trails and pathways. Dog owners must clean up after their pets.
- Horseback riding, fishing, camping, swimming, fireworks, open fires, discharging a firearm, and off-road vehicles are prohibited.
- Collecting plants, animals, geologic materials or artifacts is against the law.
Entry to the Moapa Valley Natural Wildlife Refuge is always free of charge.
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Warm Springs area of the upper Moapa Valley in northeastern Clark County in southern Nevada. It lies just south of State Highway 168 and the Muddy River, between Interstate 15 on the east and U.S. Highway 93 on the west. The refuge is bounded on the North by Warm Springs Road, on the south by Battleship Wash, and on the east and west by private property. It is approximately 60 miles northeast of the city of Las Vegas and 9 miles west of the town of Glendale.
From Las Vegas, drive north on Interstate 15 to the Moapa/Glendale exit (#90). Go straight (northwest) on Highway 168 for 7.4 miles to Warm Springs Road. Turn left (southwest) on Warm Springs Road and drive for 1.4 more miles. The refuge is on your left, when you see the chain link fence on both sides of the road.
From St. George, Utah or Mesquite, Nevada, drive south on Interstate 15 to the Glendale/Moapa exit (#91). Turn left (southwest) onto E. Glendale Blvd. Merge/turn right (northwest) onto Highway 168 for 7.4 miles to Warm Springs Road. Turn left (southwest) on Warm Springs Road and drive for 1.4 more miles. The refuge is on your left.
Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge relies heavily on resident volunteers who contribute hundreds of hours conducting visitor services, educational programs, and facilities maintenance. Volunteers also assist with habitat restoration projects to help protect the unique spring-nourished habitats on which endemic species depend.
Annually, some 500 volunteers log more than 33,000 hours on the four Desert Complex wildlife refuges. At the refuge, volunteers greet visitors, perform maintenance and custodial work, and assist the Service on habitat restoration projects. Volunteers also conduct educational programs at the refuge. To learn more about volunteering at the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge or the other refuges in southern Nevada, contact Jennifer Heroux at 702-515-5453 or via email to jennifer_heroux@fws.gov.
Services
About
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1979 to protect the endangered Moapa dace and its unique thermal spring habitat in northeastern Clark County. The 136-acre refuge features stream channels fed by thermal springs that support several endemic species found nowhere else in the world. While dace populations are recovering through habitat restoration and non-native species removal, they remain below the stable population goal of 6,000.
Our Mission
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Vision Statement
The Service's vision for the the refuge is:
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge supports and protects a healthy, thriving population of Moapa dace at the headwaters of the Muddy River. Stable flows from the refuge’s numerous warm springs fill meandering channels downstream that provide ideal habitat for dace, Virgin River chub and other species of endemic fish and invertebrates.
The spring bank and riparian plant communities provide habitat for southwestern willow flycatcher as well as a rich diversity of migratory and resident songbirds, colonial nesting species, and other native wildlife.
Local residents and visitors learn about and enjoy this restored desert oasis. Volunteers take personal satisfaction from contributing to the conservation and protection of refuge wildlife and the unique spring-nourished habitats on which they depend.
The Service will realize this vision through continued habitat restoration and maintenance, as well as, monitoring for and elimination of invasive non-native species.