China Ranch Date Farm and "The Cabin"

Many times we have driven south out of Death Valley and passed the signs for China Ranch Date Farm, but it took us until 2009 to stop. We had spent the previous night at a wonderful old miner’s cabin in Death Valley and were working our way towards Las Vegas to get some fresh food and a shower. But legends of the date milkshakes distracted us and we found ourselves following a steep and twisty road through the mud hills towards the Amargosa River.

The date farm is enormous and harvests more varieties of dates than I knew existed. Chatting with one of the employees, I learned all about the different types – what is best in savory dishes, what is best on its own, etc. We picked out several bags of different varieties to try, as well as some fresh baked date bread. At the checkout we ordered our date shakes, not knowing what to expect.

Verdict: date milkshakes are delightful. The creamy ice cream mixed with the texture of the dates is delicious. I know it may not be for everyone, but it’s worth trying at least once. The best parts of the farm are the trails they have running through their property. We took our shakes and wandered up the steep mud hill slope to get a bird’s-eye view of the date palms below. Had to burn off those calories somehow.

I wasn’t going to write a separate blog post about our stop by the farm, but it’s worthy of it, for sure (dear FTC new disclosure rule enforcement officers: China Ranch did not pay me to write this post, nor offer free date milkshakes, however they would certainly be accepted). Reasonable prices, friendly employees, and hiking trails make it a must-stop when passing through the Tecopa Hot Springs area.