It's been a while, and I visit the Spring Mountain Ranch in Las Vegas rather often. Finally, after several years they've decided to start filling Lake Harriet again.
One of the major attractions of the park is the lake. There used to be benches around the perimeter and on many days the lake was a great place to unwind. After watching what was done for several years now it appears the only things done were to remove the reeds around the perimeter and around the island. Additionally, they laid boulders around the inside east and south edges, as can be seen in the picture above.
There were two reasons provided for the lake draining: 1) the Pupfish were in danger of extinction and 2) the dam was not sound. Whether these stories are true or not no longer matters. It's good to see the lake return.
Since I make a trip almost every week, the lake is filling rather rapidly. I did skip one week venturing to the park and there was very little water in the lake on my previous trip. So as you can see the water is rising very rapidly.
If you have not been to the park in a while I suggest you come back to venture a hike near the lake. The next question now is whether or not they open the walkway around the perimeter and remove the makeshift fencing. If they're worried about people placing invasive species into the lake they can either continue to worry or go with it because there are many people out there who disrespect everything the majority of us cherish.
Here's what the lake looked like before they drained it.
Have a great time everyone and happy hiking.
