Sunday, May 08, 2005
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TRIP OF THE WEEK: Kershaw-Ryan State Park Southern Nevada's hidden jewel

One of Nevada's smallest recreation areas, Kershaw-Ryan State Park near Caliente makes up for its lack of size with an abundance of shade and scenery. Vegetation watered by springs, seeps and a diminutive creek create habitat for a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. This oasis seems far removed from the desert surrounding it.

Kershaw-Ryan lies just two miles south of Caliente at the upper end of beautiful Rainbow Canyon. To approach the park, follow Interstate 15 north from Las Vegas to the turnoff onto U.S. 93. Continue on this major highway into Lincoln County. It runs through the verdant Pahranagat Valley and the ranching community of Alamo to Caliente, 150 miles from Las Vegas. Watch for the turnoff toward the park as you enter Caliente and follow the signs.

Caliente sits astride the Meadow Valley Wash, a major system of coalescing creeks draining hundreds of square miles. The water, fed by springs and floodwaters, follows the contours between mountain ranges toward the Colorado River and Lake Mead. The water carves beautiful canyons along its route, including Rainbow Canyon and the little box canyon at Kershaw Ryan.

Following a winter and spring of record precipitation, recent flooding in Meadow Valley Wash came as no surprise to Lincoln County residents. Raging floodwaters tore out roads, cut power lines, interrupted telephone service and damaged the Union Pacific's tracks enough to force a temporary closure.

The road through Rainbow Canyon remains closed to all but repair crews and some residents. This popular shortcut lops 40 miles off the trip from Las Vegas to Caliente. It passes old Elgin and its restored one-room schoolhouse on its way to U.S. 93 along the Kane Springs Wash. Since the rains keep falling and spring snow runoff in the mountains now begins, this road may be closed well into summer. Even after the "road closed" signs come down, expect rough and muddy conditions.

Summer flashfloods more than 20 years ago altered use patterns in Kershaw-Ryan State Park. Flooding stranded a group of campers and destroyed many of the facilities then available at the recreation site. It had a loop drive in the bottom of the canyon, camping and picnicking sites and restrooms. Closed for a time, the park reopened as a day-use, walk-in area only, as it remains.

Visitors today park outside the box canyon and a walk a short distance to the picnic area. Water and restrooms are centrally located. Three developed trails of varying lengths explore the box canyon and adjacent areas. Visitors pay a $4 entrance fee. Those who want a camping experience must use campgrounds at any of four other state parks in Lincoln County, all within 50 miles of Caliente.

Visitors find themselves charmed by the beauty of Kershaw-Ryan. The sound of running water seems part of the experience. Water trickles down the face of the cliff. It splashes into a little wading pool at the base of the rock. It gurgles away down the tiny creek.

Hanging gardens cloak the seeping cliff wall. Stands of native shade trees filter the sun. Rambling wild grapevines form a tangle of green. Flourishing wildflowers create bright spots of color, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. Drawn by the water and natural foods, songbirds entertain picnickers as they flash through the sun and flutter among the leaves.

The beautiful spot early gained popularity. Pioneer families and groups gathered there for picnics and outings in the canyon homesteaded by a couple named Kershaw in 1870. Caliente residents named Ryan bought the property in 1905. In 1928, they donated the canyon, then called "Kershaw Gardens," for use as a public park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built facilities at the site during the Depression years, including improvements swept away in two floods in 1984.

The canyon became a state park in 1935, gaining its present name. This site remains a small, showy gem among larger, better-known jewels in a park system that preserves unique places throughout the Silver State.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's Trip of the Week column appears Sundays.