Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, Blue Diamond

Visited Spring Mountain Ranch on a Thursday in May. The weather was sunny with an occasional cool breeze, 66 degrees. Paid a $10 fee to enter the grounds. Parked our car then went into the house and was treated to a nice historical overview of the property and its ownership by a docent. Property was previously owned by Vera Krupp (think Krupp diamonds) and Howard Hughes (though Hughes never occupied it) among others. She later took us on a tour of the otherwise off limits portions of the house. Interesting house design and appointments but certainly not over the top. Went into the gift shop and purchased some reasonably priced souvenirs. Exited the house and proceeded to walk the nearby hiking trails. Tons of scenic beauty to take in, including mountains, wildlife (burros, lizards, coots, etc.). Hiked to the large lake on the property then turned around and headed to the car. Overall, this was a nice experience and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking an outdoor experience with breathtaking scenery. If into hiking, you could make a challenging day of it by hiking further up into the mountains.

Cute place to let the kids run around. I recommend packing a little picnic and lots of cold drinks. Pretty cool scenery and best trails if you are up for them. The ranch has so much history. It was fun to explore.