Clark County Wetlands Park

Free Nature Trails, Wildlife Habitat, and Environmental Education

Clark County Wetlands Park protects approximately 2,900 acres of habitat and recreational open space on the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. The park includes a 210-acre Nature Preserve, the Wetlands Park Nature Center, ponds, streams, desert and riparian habitat, several trailheads, and miles of paved and unpaved trails.

Visitors can walk, watch birds, explore environmental exhibits, attend educational programs, view public art, volunteer, or learn how the Las Vegas Wash supports wildlife in the Mojave Desert.

General admission to the park, Nature Center, Exhibit Gallery, and ordinary trails is free, making Wetlands Park one of the most substantial free things to do in Las Vegas for families, walkers, birdwatchers, photographers, and nature enthusiasts.

The main Nature Center and Nature Preserve entrance is at 7050 Wetlands Park Lane. The park also has separate trailheads across a wide area, so visitors should confirm their intended starting point before driving.

Last reviewed: July 29, 2026. Nature Center hours, trails, construction closures, parking access, wildlife activity, programs, maps, water conditions, and picnic availability can change.

Quick Facts | Current Alerts | Nature Center | Nature Preserve | Trails | Wildlife | Las Vegas Wash | Families | Programs | Picnics | Facility Rentals | Park Rules | Parking | Accessibility | Visitor Tips | FAQ

Clark County Wetlands Park Quick Facts

Official Name:
Clark County Wetlands Park

Address:
7050 Wetlands Park Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89122

Phone:
702-455-7522

Email:
wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov

Operator:
Clark County Parks & Recreation

Park Size:
Approximately 2,900 acres

Nature Preserve:
Approximately 210 acres

Outdoor Hours:
Trails, trailhead parking, and trailhead restrooms are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Nature Center Hours:
Tuesday through Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed

Admission:
General admission to the park, Nature Center, Exhibit Gallery, and ordinary trails is free.

What May Cost Extra:
Selected classes, registered programs, room rentals, store purchases, transportation, and specialized activities

Nature Preserve Trails:
Approximately three miles of paved accessible trails plus connecting unpaved paths and shaded lanes

Pets:
Dogs are prohibited in the Nature Preserve. Leashed dogs are permitted on designated trails elsewhere in the park.

Bicycles:
Bicycles are prohibited in the Nature Preserve but permitted on designated routes, including approved portions of the Wetlands Loop Trail.

Water Recreation:
Swimming, wading, fishing, boating, floating, and other contact with park waterways are prohibited.

Parking:
Free parking is normally available at the Nature Center and designated trailheads.

Current Construction and Trail Alerts

Portions of Nature Preserve Way are currently closed near Wetlands Park Lane during sewer-infrastructure construction.

Visitors may hear heavy equipment and construction noise. Work is generally scheduled Monday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., although dates and hours can change.

Future construction phases are expected to affect Duck Creek Trailhead parking and restrooms.

The Wetlands Loop Trail also does not currently create a complete continuous loop. The route is paved between Wetlands Loop Trailhead and Pabco Trailhead, while other portions remain incomplete or unpaved.

Review the latest Clark County alerts, maps, barriers, and posted detours before beginning a long walk or bicycle ride.

Wetlands Park Nature Center

The Wetlands Park Nature Center serves as the main orientation point for first-time visitors.

The building includes an approximately 10,000-square-foot Exhibit Gallery with interactive displays, wildlife dioramas, hands-on activities, and information about the Las Vegas Wash, reclaimed water, erosion control, plants, animals, and park history.

Other facilities include the Nature Store, an auditorium, rotating public-art displays, classrooms, meeting rooms, public restrooms, and the Lizard Lounge indoor picnic room.

The Nature Center is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is closed Monday. Holiday, maintenance, emergency, and special-event hours may differ.

Admission to the regular exhibits is free. Store merchandise, snacks, selected classes, registered programs, and facility rentals may cost extra.

The 210-Acre Nature Preserve

The Nature Preserve begins near the Nature Center and protects ponds, streams, marsh vegetation, cottonwood and willow habitat, desert scrub, mesquite woodland, and wildlife corridors.

Approximately three miles of paved accessible trails provide access to much of the preserve. Connecting unpaved routes and shaded lanes offer additional exploration.

The preserve is managed primarily as wildlife habitat. Visitors must stay on designated trails and reduce noise and disturbance.

Dogs and bicycles are prohibited in the Nature Preserve, even when the dog is leashed or the bicycle is being walked.

Plants, seeds, rocks, artifacts, feathers, nests, and other natural materials must remain in place.

Trails and Trailheads

Wetlands Park includes several miles of paved and unpaved trails extending beyond the Nature Preserve.

Nature Preserve Trails

These trails provide access to ponds, groves, bridges, wildlife-viewing locations, and shaded riparian habitat. Dogs and bicycles are prohibited.

Wetlands Loop Trail

The Wetlands Loop Trail is a designated multiuse route for walkers, runners, cyclists, and leashed dogs.

Despite the name, it does not currently form a complete passable circuit. Visitors should use the current trail map and plan a return route.

Duck Creek Trailhead

Duck Creek normally provides trails through dense shrubs, grasses, trees, and wetland habitat. Typical facilities include parking, restrooms, shaded picnic tables, drinking fountains, and dog-waste stations.

Construction is expected to affect this trailhead during future project phases. Confirm current access before traveling.

Wells Trailhead

Wells Trailhead provides access through desert scrub to a hilltop viewing area overlooking the Las Vegas Wash. Amenities normally include parking, waterless restrooms, benches, and shaded picnic tables.

Pabco, Sunrise, and Other Access Points

Other park access points connect visitors with portions of the Wetlands Loop Trail, Las Vegas Wash views, desert habitat, picnic facilities, and regional trail connections.

Amenities, surfaces, bicycle access, dog rules, restrooms, water, shade, and parking differ by trailhead.

Birds and Wildlife

Wetlands Park supports an unusually broad range of wildlife for an urban desert environment.

Clark County reports more than 300 identified bird species and approximately 70 species of mammals and reptiles.

Visitors may encounter waterfowl, songbirds, herons, raptors, rabbits, beavers, coyotes, bobcats, lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, and other animals.

Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. Seasons, weather, water levels, migration, noise, construction, time of day, and visitor activity influence what may be visible.

Do not feed, follow, touch, capture, corner, or attempt to pose with an animal.

Use binoculars or a zoom lens and remain on the trail. Give snakes, nesting birds, coyotes, and all other wildlife additional space.

The Las Vegas Wash

The Las Vegas Wash carries treated reclaimed water, urban runoff, shallow groundwater, and stormwater through the park before reaching Lake Mead.

This continuing water supply supports marshes, ponds, trees, fish, birds, insects, and other wildlife in an otherwise dry region.

Wetland plants and erosion-control structures help slow the water, trap sediment, reduce erosion, and protect habitat.

The water is not intended for recreation or direct human contact.

Swimming, wading, fishing, boating, floating, and entering ponds or streams are prohibited. Pets must also remain out of the water.

Flash flooding can occur during storms. Leave low areas immediately when water rises, thunderstorms approach, or officials announce a closure.

Families and Children

Wetlands Park provides families with free exhibits, wildlife observation, short walks, educational programs, picnic areas, and outdoor exploration.

The Nature Play Corner at Wetlands Loop Trailhead offers wildlife-themed climbing and active-play features outside the quieter Nature Preserve.

Children must remain supervised near ponds, bridges, roads, wildlife, trail intersections, desert vegetation, and unpaved surfaces.

Adults should prevent children from chasing wildlife, entering water, leaving designated trails, picking plants, climbing railings, or throwing objects into ponds.

Strollers may work well on many paved routes, but heat, slopes, construction, trail damage, and unpaved sections can affect access.

Programs, Guided Walks, Art, and Volunteering

Wetlands Park offers guided walks led by Certified Interpretive Guides, children’s stories and crafts, art workshops, family programs, community-science activities, and seasonal events.

Volunteer opportunities may include habitat support, cleanup, public programs, citizen science, visitor assistance, and other approved activities.

Many programs are free. Selected workshops, classes, special activities, and reservations may require advance registration or a fee.

Age limits, group sizes, meeting points, equipment, outdoor conditions, accessibility, and cancellation policies differ by program.

Registration for one activity does not provide access to staff-only, closed, research, construction, or habitat-restoration areas.

Picnic Areas and Food

The climate-controlled Lizard Lounge inside the Nature Center is the approved indoor picnic location associated with the Nature Preserve.

Visitors may bring a prepared meal or purchase selected snacks and drinks from the Nature Store. Cooking and food preparation are not permitted inside.

Outdoor picnic tables are available at selected trailheads, including Duck Creek, Wetlands Loop, Pabco, Wells, and other designated locations when accessible.

Fires, grills, camp stoves, and fireworks are prohibited throughout Wetlands Park.

Glass containers and alcoholic beverages are also prohibited.

Pack out all waste and keep food away from wildlife.

Nature Center Facility Rentals

Selected rooms inside the Wetlands Park Nature Center may be reserved by commercial, nonprofit, and government organizations.

Available uses may include meetings, training, presentations, workshops, educational programs, and approved organizational functions.

Ordinary private social parties are not permitted through the standard room-rental program. A separate Nature Craft with Friends program may be offered for children’s parties.

Rental hours, fees, deposits, minimum periods, audiovisual equipment, catering, staffing, setup, cleanup, insurance, and availability can change.

Outside catering may be permitted, but cooking is not allowed onsite.

Submitting a request does not confirm a reservation. Organizers should wait for written approval before announcing the location.

Important Park Rules

Trails are open only from dawn to dusk.

Alcohol, glass containers, fires, grills, fireworks, hunting, fishing, swimming, boating, dumping, vandalism, and off-road driving are prohibited.

Dogs must remain on a leash no longer than six feet and may enter only designated areas. Dogs are prohibited in the Nature Preserve.

Bicycles and horses are allowed only on designated routes.

Visitors may not feed, capture, disturb, abandon, or release animals.

Commercial photography, organized instruction, research, collecting, sampling, filming, and other specialized activities may require advance approval.

Follow all construction barriers, closure notices, trail signs, and staff directions.

Parking and Transportation

Free parking is normally available at the Nature Center and designated Wetlands Park trailheads.

Use the address 7050 Wetlands Park Lane when visiting the Nature Center and Nature Preserve.

Entering only the general park name into a navigation app may direct drivers to another trailhead.

Do not park on trails, dirt shoulders, construction routes, fire lanes, closed areas, landscaped surfaces, or spaces blocked by cones or barricades.

Trailhead parking closes at dusk. Visitors should return to their vehicles before dark.

Rideshare users should confirm the Nature Center address and arrange return transportation before closing time.

Public transportation may require transfers and a significant outdoor walk. Verify current RTC routes, stops, schedules, and construction detours before traveling.

Accessibility

The Nature Center and reservable rooms are designed with accessible public routes.

The Nature Preserve includes approximately three miles of paved ADA-accessible trails.

Actual conditions may still be affected by slopes, construction, weather, debris, trail damage, bridge access, maintenance, crowds, and temporary closures.

Unpaved trails, loose surfaces, desert terrain, and incomplete Wetlands Loop segments may not be suitable for every wheelchair, walker, stroller, or mobility device.

Visitors who need an accessible route, restroom, parking space, program accommodation, seating, or rental-room setup should contact Wetlands Park before arriving.

Tips Before Visiting Wetlands Park

Check current alerts.
Construction, sewer work, trail damage, and maintenance may affect entrances and routes.

Do not expect a complete loop.
The Wetlands Loop Trail does not currently form a continuous circular route.

Use the correct destination.
Enter the full Nature Center address when visiting the main exhibits and preserve.

Visit early in warm weather.
Morning offers cooler temperatures, softer light, and often more wildlife activity.

Bring water.
Do not rely on every trailhead having a working drinking fountain.

Leave dogs home for the Nature Preserve.
Dogs are allowed only on designated routes outside the preserve.

Stay out of the water.
Swimming, wading, fishing, boating, and other water contact are prohibited.

Leave wildlife alone.
Observe animals from a distance and never feed them.

Frequently Asked Questions