Tonopah
Overview
Like several other towns in rural Nevada, Tonopah’s relatively small population of 2610 contradicts its big town feel. Its service area is huge. The nearest towns with a full range of visitor services are 112 mi/180km north in Austin, 168 mi/270km east in Ely, 93mi/150km south in Beatty, 118mi/190km west in Bishop, and 104mi/167km northwest in Hawthorne. Add in the fact that Tonopah is the county seat for Nye County and the big town feel is better explained. Of course, a full range of visitor support services are found here; ATMs, banks, gas stations, hospital, markets, motels, and restaurants. The elevation of Tonopah is 6030′/1838m.
Tonopah’s silver mining heritage is highlighted in the multi-acre Tonopah Historic Mining Park. The Central Nevada Museum further illustrates Tonopah’s colorful history. Tonopah’s isolation led USA Today to designate it as the best stargazing location in the United States. It is stated that 7th-magnitude stars may be seen by the unaided eye along Tonopah “star trails”.
As a prominent Nevada birder stated, isolation makes Tonopah one big oasis attractive to migrating birds. “I even heard a Northern Parula singing and saw it in a tree at a gas station in the middle of town.” This means any publicly accessible site in the area with a lawn, shrubs, trees, and/or water can be a magnet for birds during spring or fall migration. Oases best accessed from Tonopah attract birders from throughout Nevada and beyond from late April to early June and again from late August to early October in the quest for rare vagrant (out of expected range) species and days of outstanding western songbird migration.
Barsanti Park, Highland Park and Tonopah Cemetery in Tonopah; Miller’s Rest Area located 13mi/21km west of Tonopah; and Dyer/Fishlake Valley and Lida 60mi/97km to the west and south respectively, are found along the Tonopah-to-Tonopah birding route known as the Nevada Desert Loop. This loop has become a storied route for finding vagrant birds and western migrants during both spring and fall. Vagrants found in the past few years are: Black Scoter, Mississippi Kite, Broad-wing Hawk, Crested Caracara, Mountain Plover, Acorn Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Dickcissel, Painted Bunting, Swamp Sparrow, and Common Grackle.
Sportsman Park is another isolated oasis to be checked. In addition to trees, it has two fishing ponds. It is found 14mi/22.5km northeast of town on the way to Belmont.
Excellent and varied mountain birding may be found in the vicinity of Lida Summit along the Desert Route, in the Toiyabe Range via the road up Peavine Canyon, in the Toquima Range via the road to Pine Creek Campground, and in the Monitor Range via the road to Barley Creek and Table Mountain Wilderness. All four mountain areas may be reached within a 60-90 minute drive from Tonopah; Lida Summit to the southwest and the three mountain ranges to the north. Other wildlife viewing can be good to excellent in the three mountain ranges to the north.
Tonopah can be used for day trips to all wildlife-viewing sites in the area. For multi-day visits to the Monitor and Toquima ranges, and to save 88mi/142km of daily round-trip driving, stay at the Belmont Inn B&B, camp out, or stay in an RV. Detailed profiles of the wildlife viewing areas found in the Monitor Range and Toquima Range may be found in the Belmont Satellite Hub write-up.
The US 6 Corridor write-up describes outstanding birding stops to be made during the 168mi/270km transition day drive from the Tonopah Regional Hub to the Ely Regional Hub.
NOTE: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches have been seen on US 95 regularly in midwinter from a few miles to several miles south of Tonopah. They have been seen literally walking about on the pavement and flying off when vehicles drive by. Be sure to look for this species when driving US 95 between NV 266 and Tonopah in winter.
