China Ranch Date Farm

  The dirt road to China Ranch Date Farm winds through a narrow canyon with high walls composed of sediment deposited over thousands of years. This dry, hot land can support little life so when the Amargosa River, which usually runs underground, bubbles above the surface at the bottom of the canyon, a small wetlands, home to a variety of desert animals and over 225 species of birds, is created.

   The river also makes the date farm possible. The dates trees were planted in 1920 and each female tree yields between 100 to 300 pounds of dates a year.  The current owners of the farm have kept the China Ranch name which originated in the late 1800s when a Chinese man began growing  fruits and vegetables, and raising meat for the local mining camps. Look for the mine openings as you drive through the canyon.  The farm has a gift shop where visitors can buy dates, baked goods, candy, honey, jams, jelly, crafts, souvenirs, and date shakes.

There are six trails on the farm. We walked rolled a short distance on the Slot Canyon Trail until it became too difficult. We made it about 1/2 mile to the ruins of a stone building that dates back to the mining days.

The trails are not accessible but short distances are possible with assistance. The gift shop is accessible.

The road through the canyon is washboard, steep, and has a short section that’s only one lane but it’s navigable with any RV. The parking lot is large enough for any RV. This is a Harvest Host site. We wanted to stay overnight but due to coronavirus only one RV at a time is permitted and we didn’t make a reservation early enough. Farm  35.79958, -116.19514