Avi Kwa Ame: Beautiful & Culturally Rich, America’s Newest Treasured Land

Joshua Trees, Movie Stars and Craggy Mountain Views: Splendid Isolation in Southern Nevada (Visited Treasured Land #226)

The Basics: Designated in 2023, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument contains rugged mountains as well as uncountable numbers of Joshua trees and other Mojave desert vegetation. It’s one of the national monuments managed by the Bureau of Land Management as opposed to one of the 424 national parks managed by the National Park Service, but a treasured land nonetheless.

Things to Know for Your Visit to Avi Kwa Ame

This area of public land on the California/Nevada border, including Avi Kwa Ame, the westernmost portion of Mojave National Preserve, as well as Castle Mountains isn’t really intended for most visitors. Still, for hardcore parkies traveling between Vegas and western Arizona or southeastern California it presents a tempting if often overlooked stopping point in an area many otherwise just fly through. slowing only briefly when passing through Searchlight (and probably blowing every stop line in town in the process).

There are only three primary paved roads in the monument, and limited interpretive services currently. Many of the dirt roads that make up much monument access require AWD or 4WD as well as at least medium clearance (at slow speed) with high clearance preferred. Since the side roads aren’t maintained, a single storm may change conditions greatly.

Download a copy of the national monument map as well as BLM routes in the area (through Avenza Maps) in advance – in much of the monument, you will not have any cell service to do so. There are limited markings on the side roads to differentiate one from another. You will need to match it to routes indicated on the map using wayfinding.

Yet, for those who come prepared, it is a rewarding detour.

My Visit to Avi Kwa Ame

Las Vegas-Searchlight

I’m in the process of migrating from a field office in Arizona to one in Utah. Still, there are a few stops that I still hope to make in western Arizona and in the southern Nevada/California border region before making the ultimate transfer at the end of the month. After a weekend spent in southern Utah bringing much of my personal stuff up to my new place, I’m heading south to my current job again, hoping to make one of these stops.

Unfortunately, my southbound travel coincides with an atmospheric river arriving in the Southwest. I briefly considered leaving a day early to allow extra certainty that I’ll be able to make one of the stops, but the overnight forecast isn’t very favorable to camping. So, I hold off a day and decide to gamble that conditions at at least one of the locations will be good enough to allow a visit.

The drive south to Las Vegas, aside from strong winds, is relatively uneventful. I exit on US-95 southbound and pull over to check the radar. It’s late afternoon, and two of the three spots require a fair hike that I feel would rush things a bit too much. Meanwhile, the radar shows only light rain, if any, at Castle Mountains just south of me, so I continue down 95 toward Searchlight, entering the new Avi Kwa Ame National Monument between Searchlight and Las Vegas. A wide basin spreads to the west; mountains rise to the east. Arriving in Searchlight, I turn onto NV-164, the Joshua Tree Highway.

Joshua Tree Highway

The reason for the name is very evident early on, as within a mile or so, Joshua trees crowd both sides of the road. (Yes, they exist outside of Joshua Tree National Park, that is only one of the densest concentrations of them.)

Walking Box Ranch Road

A few miles down, the route toward Castle Mountains National Monument – my next destination – turns onto a dirt road and runs southwest toward the California border. Walking Box Ranch, the namesake of the road, is a major component in the monument. Rex Bell and Clara Bow purchased the ranch in 1931 and hosted a litany of Hollywood figures here. The ranch is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and is open for tours by appointment.

Continuing on, the road passes through a Joshua tree forest cooperatively managed between the BLM and the Nature Conservancy. Views of the Castle Mountains surrounded by Joshua trees and the Mojave Desert open up nicely just prior to the state boundary. The state boundary also operates as the boundary between Avi Kwa Ame to Castle Mountains National Monument.

Things to Do

• Scenic drives through pristine Mojave desert scenery, fauna and flora
• Tours of historic Walking Box Ranch
• Hiking, cycling, backcountry driving (all on unmaintained roads)
• Camping

Suggested Itinerary

Enter via one of a couple roads: US-95 from either Needles, CA or Las Vegas, NV; NV-164 from Searchlight, NV or Ivanpah, CA; or NV-163 from Laughlin, NV. Three major points of interest await in the central and southern portions of the monument.

• Christmas Tree Pass (unpaved; AWD/4WD required) connects NV-163 west of Laughlin to US-95 north of Searchlight and makes for a scenic and rugged mountain drive.
• NV-164 west of Searchlight, the Joshua Tree Highway, passes through innumerable Joshua trees. 164 also offers an access point to the designated Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness area on the north side of the road.
• Walking Box Ranch Road off of NV-164 west of Searchlight provides views of the Joshua trees and access to the historic Walking Box Ranch. It also features stunning views of the Mojave desert landscape and Castle Mountains. Continuing along this road also provides access to Castle Mountains National Monument. See below for more on Castle Mountains.

Nearby Parks and other Federal Lands

Mojave National Preserve

This national park protects a diverse segment of the Mojave Desert and surrounds Castle Mountains on three sides. The distinctive (if confusing) Castle Crags (not to be confused with the Castle Mountains) are a prominent section of the New York Mountains within the preserve and can be viewed spectacularly from the western portions of Avi Kwa Ame as well as from neighboring Castle Mountains National Monument.

Castle Mountains National Monument

Castle Mountains National Monument fills in a keyhole of Mojave National Preserve, in a sense. The main road, Hart Mine Road (the California continuation of Walking Box Ranch Road in Nevada) is not technically within the monument, but if you have medium (going slowly) or high clearance, as well as all terrain tires, you can drive one of the side roads into the monument itself.

If not, stick to hiking or mountain biking them, or find a spot to pitch a tent along them for the night. You may encounter traffic on Walking Box Ranch/Hart Mine Road, especially leaving the mining inholding at the end of the workday, but you are unlikely to encounter anyone on the monument roads. For more on Castle Mountains, read about my trip and suggested itinerary there here.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

A short drive east takes you to the Lake Mojave segment of Lake Mead NRA and its surrounding desert corridor. While Lake Mohave is a major attraction for boaters, there are also trails to other features in the desert, including petroglyph galleries; mountains sacred to indigenous tribes in the area; and more. The namesake of Avi Kwa Ame, Spirit Mountain, can be found in this portion of Lake Mead.

BLM Historic Route 66 Backcountry Byway

Running from Kingman to Topock, this original section of US-66, the Mother Road, crosses the Black Mountains of Northwest Arizona. It includes one of the most iconic mountain crossings on the entire road at Sitgreaves Pass. The segment is accessible via I-40 at Topock or via Bullhead City and south via AZ-95. For the latter, turn off US-95 on NV-163 at Palm Gardens and proceed to Laughlin, then cross into Arizona to meet AZ-95 in Bullhead.

Alternatively, you can use the Christmas Tree Pass route mentioned above. Regardless, two routes from AZ-95 connect to US-66: Boundary Cone Road, which links up just south of Oatman, or for the purist who wants to drive the full stretch, County Route 1 connects Mohave Valley to US-66 at Golden Shores.

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge

Nearly entirely wilderness, the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge hosts 318 species of birds. It surrounds or abuts the Colorado River in two segments: from I-40 south toward Lake Havasu City, and surrounding Topock Marsh on the east side of the river just north of I-40. The segment that surrounds Topock Gorge, often called a miniature Grand Canyon, is a designated Wilderness area. Lake Havasu City outfitters arrange boat, canoe and kayak tours. Alternatively, there is a daily roundtrip boat connection between Laughlin and Lake Havasu City that takes you through the gorge. (Albeit, focused more on transportation and less on the scenery). Foot access is difficult but possible from surrounding BLM land.

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area

A BLM National Conservation Area designated by Congress in 2002, it protects the southern mountain skyline of Las Vegas and includes a petroglyph site featuring more than 300 panels. The North McCollough Wilderness area within Sloan Canyon contains examples of volcanic landscapes with lava flows, ash falls, and glassy zones. Remember that all archeological resources are protected by the Archeological Resources Protection Act and the Antiquities Act and are part of the shared heritage of all Americans.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Designated by Congress in 1990, the popular Red Rock Canyon NCA features a 13 mile scenic drive, hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, and mountain biking, and road biking. For the more casual visitor, it also features picnic areas, nature observing, and a visitor center. The spectacularly colored desert landscape here attracts millions of visitors annually from around the world. It is located only miles from the Las Vegas Strip.