Ash Meadows NWR has three boardwalks that are wheelchair accessible and will lead you to of our beautiful springs. The Ash Meadow Amargosa pupfish can be seen playfully swimming at any of the springs. People enjoy sitting on the benches as they try to catch a glimpse.
crystal Spring Boardwalk
Crystal Spring Boardwalk is a 0.9-mile loop (1,430 meters) that leads to Crystal Pool. This beautiful pool is 15 feet deep. It stays 87 degrees all year long and discharges 2500-2800 gallons of water per minute. All water naturally has a blue tinge, but the color is more vivid in the springs. People often wonder, “What makes this water so blue?” As the water flows to the surface, it carries dissolved calcium carbonate, otherwise known as limestone. Limestone is relatively pure, very white, and reflective. This causes the sunlight to scatter through the water, which enhances the blue and produces a striking appearance.
Longstreet
Boardwalk
The Longstreet Boardwalk is the shortest boardwalk at Ash Meadow NWR. This hike is a 525 feet loop (160 meters) that leads to the Longstreet Spring and Jack Longstreet’s Cabin. The spring discharges 1,500 gallons of water per minute and stays 82° year-round. Jack Longstreet is considered the Last of the Desert Frontiersmen. Jack Longstreet was an infamous prospector, gunman, and horse breeder married to Paiute Fannie Black. He became an advocate for Indigenous people. Jack moved to the area in 1889 and built his stone cabin near the spring. The cabin was built around 1889 when Longstreet settled in the area. The cabin is one of the highlights of this boardwalk and visitors can go inside if desired.
Point of Rocks Boardwalk
Point of Rocks Boardwalk is a 0.5-mile loop (775 meters) that leads to Kings Pool, one of the many freshwater springs found at the refuge. This spring discharges 1,200 gallons of water per minute, and the water at this pool stays 90 degrees all year long. Some visitors have been lucky enough to see Bighorn Sheep on the boardwalk.