Top Desert Parks: Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

Like Cabeza NWR further south, there are no paved roads into Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, a typical stretch of the Sonoran Desert in west Arizona, east of US 95. Instead, several improved gravel tracks cross the area, plus many lesser routes requiring 4WD. By far the most visited location is Palm Canyon, site of a rare grove of California fan palm trees, at the edge of one of the isolated mountain ranges dotted across the refuge. Between the hills are extensive, empty plains, bearing the usual selection of desert plants. The refuge offers endless opportunities for hiking, driving and camping.

Kofa NWR: details, map