Activities
Subterranean waters from faraway highlands nourish a verdant thicket in the
midst of China Ranch inhabited by all manner of wildlife. Ten million-year-old
lake deposits have folded and faulted into cream colored hillocks, whose peaks
are ribboned with ancient Native American paths. The T&T Railroad grade
snakes past palisades, marshes, and billion-year-old boulder capped pinnacles.
All this makes China Ranch a mecca for outdoor activities.
- Bird Watching. There are over 200 species of birds that visit and
live on the oasis. The spring and fall migrations are spectacular. Hawks,
eagles and turkey vultures are an everyday event.
- Dual Sport Riding. Miles of excellent roads provide endless opportunities
of discovery.
- Geocaching. Check out the GPS coordinates for the latest treasure
hunt.
- Hiking. Vast open desert lands are waiting to be explored at your
own pace and in your own way. Forge your own trails through undeveloped
tracks of wilderness. Follow your own sense of direction to destinations
unknown, or trek miles of the maintained Amargosa River Trail.
- Horseback Riding. Guests are welcome to bring their horses and
ride the surrounding wilderness areas.
- Mountain Biking. Follow the China Ranch Canyon rim to
implausible overlooks and remote historical sites.
- Natural Hot Springs. End your day with a soak in the Tecopa natural
hot baths.
- Off highway Vehicles. Not allowed on the ranch or on the designated
wilderness areas, which are virtually everywhere. However, there is easy
access for some types of street legal vehicles up through the nearby Sperry
Wash route to the Dumont Dunes.
- Road Excursions. Any vehicle can tour the nearby Kingston mountains
range. Springs, mines and historical sites are well worth discovery.
- Rock Climbing. Several nearby peaks offer easy to challenging
excursions.
- Rock Collecting. Abundant.
Stargazing. Isolation
from city lights makes astronomical event watching out of this world! Full moon risings are not
to be missed. China Ranch has a singular advantage for stargazers, one fast disappearing from
even rural areas: though it has electric power, and lodging, as well as
ample open space, there is no outdoor lighting, either on the site or closer
than five miles in any quantity. The closest serious source of light pollution
is Las Vegas, which is about sixty miles ENE. See astronomical photos by
Chad Zalunardo shot at
China Ranch,
