11 Mar Vegas Day Trip: China Ranch Date Farm

A few hours outside the gleaming lights of the Las Vegas Strip, China Ranch Date Farm sits as a secret oasis on the outskirts of Death Valley.

The drive from Las Vegas to the China Ranch Date Farm is picturesque. Once out of Vegas, you’re on your own; we passed only a handful of cars on our way to the farm. We pulled off several times to stop and get pictures and nary a car passed us.

The farm is well marked once you get off the main road, so there shouldn’t be any trouble finding it. The paved road turns to dirt as you close in on China Ranch and sandy badlands rise up around you as you wind your way down to the farm.

Fill Up On the Good Stuff

Once you get to the gift shop and bakery, get sick off the syrupy sweet, creamy date samples. They have all kinds of varieties of dates as well as a few of their own hybrids. The best (according to us, of course) are the China Gold, Honey, Black Beauties and the Gourmets.

Don’t get too stuffed on sampling all the delicious dates before you try the date bread and muffins, and the vanilla date oatmeal cookies. And definitely, don’t leave before you get yourself a date milkshake. I can hear your skepticism from here, but trust me. Once you’ve eaten their dates which are so soft and creamy (not hard like the dried ones you get at the store), you’ll understand how good this date shake will be.

Walk through the bakery to visit the attached antique store where you’ll find geodes of all shapes and colors, tapestries, longhorn cow skulls, and plenty of desert rose.

Take a Hike

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, bring along some water and wear your hiking boots and head out for a hike behind the back of the gift shop. You’ll cross over a small natural spring and enter the farming area. From there you can hike a little or a lot. Plan your visit from October through March if you plan to hike; it gets pretty toasty, as you can imagine given its location near Death Valley National Park. The gift store has a map for purchase that shows the different trails.

While you’re out this way, consider checking out Badwater Basin & Rhyolite Ghost Town.

Tips:

• Come hungry and sample all the different varieties of dates.
• Don’t miss the Gourmet, China Gold, Black Beauty, and Honey date varieties.
• Get a date shake.
• Wear comfortable shoes and bring water if you plan to hike.
• Pack sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat.