Nellis Wash Wilderness

Services, Getting There

Hikes & Trails

Related Areas

Map Information

Wilderness Area Status

Designated Wilderness Area
Year Designated: 2002
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Act or Law: Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002
Acres: 16423
State Region: Southern Nevada
County Regions: Clark   

Management

Managing Agency: National Park Service
Local District: Alan Bible Visitor Center
Contact Info: (702) 293-8990
151 Lakeshore Scenic Drive  Las Vegas, NV89101

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Area Description

Nellis Wash Wilderness is an alluvial landscape immediately east of the Newberry Mountains.  The character of the unit changes from the broad, low-relief bajadas in the north to inter-fingered dry ridges alternating with well-vegetated washes in the south.  As rare, violent storms carry debris flows from the mountains toward Colorado River, the fury of these flows dissipate in this wilderness and deposit mud, sand, and rocks to form long, branching drainages.  Elevations within this unit vary from nearly 3000 feet on the slopes of the Newberry Mountains down to 1500 feet on the plains above Lake Mojave.  

Flora
Creosote bush scrub

Fauna
Western chuckwalla, fence lizard, Great Basin gopher snake, leopard lizard, Southwestern speckled rattlesnake, large spotted leopard lizard, Great Basin whiptail, desert iguana, zebra-tailed lizard, yellow-backed spiny lizard, Great Basin collared lizard, Mojave patch-nosed snake, Mojave rattlesnake, desert banded gecko, Western long-nosed snake, Mojave shovel-nosed snake, red coachwhip, desert tortoise, and the banded Gila monster.