Mohave County hosts the 27, 660-acre wide Mount Nutt Wilderness, with Kingman, Arizona, just 15 miles away from the wilderness boundaries and Bullhead City, AZ, a mere 12 miles to the west of the wilderness region.
Mount Nutt Wilderness is close to populated regions of Arizona and offers residents of the closest towns magnificent views of the Black Mountain Range. The wilderness region contains eight miles of the central and highest parts of the Black Mountains within its boundaries.
The wilderness has colorfully vivid and wild geography, protruding from amidst the 5,216 feet high Nutt Mountain. Standing up like soldiers in a ring along the entire boundary of the wilderness are humongous volcanic plugs with 2,200 feet drops, and all along the ridgeline, you can behold in amazement the prominent mesas that have been carved out in a series of maze-like canyons.
In addition to its mesas and mountains, the wilderness is also home to cottonwood, oak, and willow forests, and you’ll find small and scattered springs sustaining the sporadic vegetation.
Visitors from far and wide make a trip to Mount Nutt Wilderness for hiking, exploring, rock scrambling, photography, and hunting, as well as solitude and natural scenery. This BLM managed land also allows for camping and backpacking.
This wilderness has multiple access routes, and you can pick the one you find most convenient. For the Cave Spring access, approach from Kingman and take Highway 93 and Highway 68. This Arizona Road is pure gravel and easy to access. Take Estrelle Road and proceed to Guthrie Road. There’s a small rock-lined parking area where you can park. There are no restrictions on the type of vehicle you can use to access the area. Approaching from the west, you’ll have to brave the dirt roads off the Silver Creek road.
Summers in the wilderness are intense, so make sure you bring plenty of water along. Daytime temperatures can rise up to 100 degrees. Since the terrain of Mount Nutt Wilderness is extremely rugged, you will need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to access some parts of it. Other than that, the most used routes are the sand washes and various animal trails.
For a more luxurious camping experience, one can visit nearby private campgrounds. The nearest campground to the wilderness is a private campground just over a half an hour's drive away from the wilderness boundaries. The campground is located just six minutes away from Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The campground offers RV sites with full as well partial hookup services amongst palm trees-lined up by the beach area. A sanitary disposal station is also provided. Other amenities include five shower buildings, laundry facilities, day-use area, swim beaches, and boat launch. Group campsites are also provided for larger gatherings.
This BLM owned property allows visitors to camp in the wilderness as long as they follow the seven standard Leave-No-Trace principles. It is also appreciated if only previously disturbed campsites are used. Campers can stay here for up to 14 days.
There aren’t any amenities at the campground and it is purely primitive. Bring all the supplies you need to camp. Cutting live vegetation is illegal here. Only dead and down wood can be picked for a campfire. Pets are also allowed on campsites.
Since the summers here are too hot, it is best to consider hiking between the months of October and April. This wilderness has excessively rugged terrain and hikes are slightly challenging. Most hikers here prefer the sandy washes as their trail or simply follow the usable bighorn sheep and burro trails.
Make sure to bring plenty of water as it is scarce in the region. In case of dire emergencies when you run out of water, refer to the map for springs and purify spring water before drinking.
Hunting is a very popular activity in this wilderness region, and hunters get big game species such as desert bighorn sheep if they can draw the highly coveted sheep tag. You might also find a few trophy rams if you are patient enough. While the mule deer density is low, it is also hunted here. Small game species include dove, waterfowl, and quail.
Mount Nutt is a 15.1- mile, class 3 climb and lures many climbers annually to its summit. The climb takes 8 to 10 hours and has a 5,100 feet gain. The climb is a loop and the view from above will simply leave you speechless. If you visit this region, make sure you go forth and conquer this mountain as the views from above are simply worth it.
The terrain of Mount Nutt Wilderness offers such exquisite sights that photographers love coming here to capture the beauty with their lenses. They keep their cameras ready in the mornings and in the evenings so that they can capture the moment when the sun casts a glorious glow on the volcanic landforms. The steep mesas and high mountains also offer an excellent opportunity for photography.
Mount Nutt Wilderness is home to the 12-mile Secret Pass OHV Trail. It is a point-to-point trail that is moderately trafficked. The trail crosses paths with various wildlife and can be accessed year-round. Dogs are allowed on this trail as well.
The elevation gain of this trial is up to 1,059 feet. This is an exciting nature trail and also gives a safari-like tour of this scenic Arizona wilderness and BLM land.
Mount Nutt Wilderness is home to more than 100 desert bighorn sheep and burro. The desert is also home to several species of lizards, birds, and small mammals. Desert tortoises and rattlesnakes are native of this wilderness along with the common Arizona desert wildlife. You might even be lucky enough to cross paths with deer, kit fox, bobcats, jackrabbit, and cottontail.
