Miss Kathy’s Short Branch Saloon

If it’s a chrysanthemum martini, swanky mood lighting, and a side of free wi-fi you’re after… well, go somewhere else. What you’ll find at Miss Kathy’s Short Branch Saloon are cheap, ice-cold domestic beers, the standard suite of hard stuff, some mean Bloody Marys, and wine (“Red or white, pal?”), along with a complete lack of BS from this Sagebrush Saloon’s namesake and feisty proprietress, Miss Kathy herself. 

Enjoy a colorful chat with tough-talkin’ Miss Kathy over a cold drink and, if you’re lucky, maybe even a hot meal—that is, if you happen to show up at a time when Miss Kathy feels like cooking. Whatever you order, you can expect it to involve meatloaf—her famous speciality. We’re talkin’ meatloaf sandwiches, meatloaf burgers, smoked meatloaf, and maybe even a little “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” on the sound system. (Don’t quote us on that last one, but we’d love to hear what happens, if you request it.)

Amenities include plenty of stools, some small tables, a pool table in the “Smokin’ Lounge,” a gargantuan old wall map of Nevada to help you get your bearings, and a pair of massive Hitachi big-screen TVs, which may be on (but which also may not). If you have too good of a time to make it back to wherever it is you were planning to go, worry not! Miss Kathy rents out a few cute private rooms in the “bunkhouse” out back. 

Miss Kathy’s Short Branch Saloon is located ten minutes south of US-95 and about 30 minutes north of Pahrump in otherwise out-of-the-way Crystal, Nevada. If you’re looking for a scenic route with some dirt roads and a classic watering hole on your way to Ash Meadows or Death Valley, this is it. Meanwhile, if you are thirsty while road tripping the Free-Range Art Highway or working your way back to Las Vegas along the Death Valley Rally, the detour is well worth it.