Spring Mountain Ranch Engagement Session

When Yvette and Gerardo asked me to plan their engagement session at Spring Mountain Ranch, I nearly jumped out of my skin in excitement. I was still new enough to Vegas that I hadn’t even stepped foot in the park. I had just heard of it’s beautiful scenery.

Spring Mountain Ranch is a not so hidden treasure in Las Vegas. For one, it’s near Red Rock, so it’s about ten degrees cooler than the strip which makes it coveted location in the summer heat! It’s an oasis of greenery, with well maintained green lawns with picnic tables, huge canopy trees that provide much needed shade, a lake and rugged mountain views. There’s even a traditional red barn, which was owned millionaire Howard Hughes, that’s now used as an office and guest services.

In the summer, it’s home to activities for locals like Super Summer Theater, free yoga on the lawn and wild donkey viewing. Spring Mountain Ranch is a state park, so there’s a $10 entrance fee or $7 dollars for locals. It’s not a bad fee considering how hard the Nevada State Park Service works to maintain it!

It was mid August and it was gorgeous. I drove in about 15 minutes early and was greeted by a herd of wild donkeys that trotted alongside my car. They seemed to be just as excited to see me!

The mountain view is one of a kind. Now, I lived in Colorado for three years, so I understand some might laugh at our teeny mountain range compared to those in the Rocky Mountains, but I’ve never seen such beautiful rock coloring. The mountains are jagged (like the back of a triceratops) and marbled with layers of pinkish-red and white rocks. In front of the rustic red barn, there are classic white fences that keep grazing cows in their field.

Yvette and Gerardo were just as excited as I was. We started our photo shoot in the parking lot which abuttes an open field where donkeys roam. Then we made our way to the picket fence and red barn. As day turned to dusk, we enjoyed seeing the sunset turn the sky into a purple haze.

Want to see similar locations? Check out Kyrstin and Richard’s engagement session at Calico Basin.