Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Wild and remote, difficult to access, this sprawling Wilderness preserves imposing landscapes and vividly colorful geologic features.

The Poachie Range runs northwest-southeast through the north-central portion of the area and rises from 1,200 feet in the lowest points of the Wilderness to almost 5,000 feet.

Southern slopes descend gradually and are interspersed with isolated volcanic plugs and numerous drainages, several of which have been incised deeply into bright orange mudstone.

The western and southern portions of the Wilderness encompass more than 20 miles of the ephemeral Big Sandy and Santa Maria Rivers. On the west side of the Big Sandy stands Artillery Peak, a nearly 3,200-foot volcanic plug dominating the Artillery Mountains.

In the eastern portion of the area, you'll find pristine Peoples Canyon where several springs support two miles of interconnected pools shaded by hundreds of sycamores, willows, and cottonwoods. These pearls of water attract birds, which in turn lure bird-watchers.

The Wilderness receives roughly 10 inches of precipitation annually and daytime temperatures during the summer months are over 100 degrees. Temperatures are more moderate between October 1 and April 30th.

Lacking both trails and road access, Arrastra Mountain is visited by only a few backpackers. All travel here is a challenge of the highest desert Wilderness order.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Arrastra Mountain Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Northwest Arizona

Wilderness Access is provided off of I-40 Alamo Road Exit and off of U.S. Highway 93 at Alamo Road, 17 Mile Road, and Signal Road.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Arrastra Mountain Wilderness
Google Earth

Arizona Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 101-628

Date: November 28, 1990
Acreage: 126,760 acres

Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990 - Public law 101-628 (11/28/1990) To provide for the designation of certain public lands as wilderness in the State of Arizona

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 101-628 or special provisions for 101-628 or legislative history for 101-628.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.