The Ice Age Fossils State Park official opening date was January 20, located just outside of Shadow Ridge High School. This park is an all inclusive activity that Shadow students can enjoy with their friends and family. Former Governor Brian Sandoval’s motive for this state park is to have residents of Nevada more engaged with Nevada’s paleontological history.
Sandoval states, “Explore your Nevada initiative.”
Now that Ice Age Fossils State Park is open it gives a lot of opportunities for new experiences. It is also a chance for new and old Nevada residents to learn new information about Nevada’s paleontological history; the convenience of the location of the park can lead to field trips since it’s right next to Shadow, potentially making history classes more engaging and hands-on.
Sophomore, Alyssa Nibert states, “I’m actually a little interested to see what they have to do at the new state park, I may go check it out with friends and family.”
Considering all day passes are only $3.00, it makes it hard to not want to go check the state park out and see what they have to offer. Picnic tables are located next to the visitor center which provides natural history exhibits, restrooms, drinking water, covered outdoor seating, and a gift shop as well as several shade structures throughout the whole park.
Ice Age Fossils State Park also has trails that visitors can explore. The Megafauna Trail attributes metal sculptures of historic megafauna, beginning at the monumental mammoth and ending at the visitor center
The state park’s longest trail Las Vegas Wash Trail is 1.5 miles long, this trail takes hikers through the historic Trench K site, a restricted area. The Trail takes hikers on a loop along the Las Vegas Wash, an important waterway in the Las Vegas Valley. It serves as a natural drainage channel and plays a crucial role in managing storm water and protecting the environment. It’s a fascinating ecosystem Shadow Ridge students can learn about at the Ice Age Fossils State Park.
Ice Age Fossils State Park would be great for field trips in science classes, since its right across from the school it would be a convenient and inexpensive way for Shadow students to explore and discover more things in Nevada.
