Top Desert Parks: Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge contains the most remote and hostile area of desert in the US; a large expanse of 60 by 40 miles, adjoining the international border in southwest Arizona. Temperatures exceed 110°F for many weeks each summer, rainfall is almost non existent much of the year, natural water sources are very limited, the few roads (4WD only) are rough and/or sandy, and the region is a long way from any towns or facilities. The land is very scenic and largely unspoilt, however, though has suffered as a result of smuggling and illegal immigration. Most of the refuge consists of wide, flat desert valleys, separated by narrow volcanic mountain ranges running north-south, all densely covered with Sonoran Desert vegetation.

Cabeza Prieta: details and map