Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge covers 665,400 acres of raw Sonoran Desert about 40 miles north of Yuma, protecting two mountain ranges — the Castle Dome and Kofa — and the bighorn sheep that have lived in them for millennia. There are no facilities and no entrance fee. You come here to disappear into the desert.

Palm Canyon is the refuge's most visited spot: a narrow ravine in the Kofa Mountains where a small grove of California fan palms grows naturally — one of the very few places in Arizona where the species occurs without human planting. The hike into the canyon takes about 30 minutes each way and rewards you with an improbable sight: palm fronds against a backdrop of stark desert rock. After dark, the absence of light pollution makes Kofa one of the best stargazing sites in the state. If you camp here, bring everything you need — water, food, fuel. There is nothing.

Getting there: From Yuma, drive north on US Highway 95 for about 40 miles. Turn east on Palm Canyon Road for 9 miles to the trailhead. High-clearance vehicles recommended.

things to do sight
A story
The name Kofa comes not from an indigenous word but from a mine: the King of Arizona Mine, which operated here in the early 1900s. The refuge was established in 1939 specifically to protect desert bighorn sheep, and now holds one of the largest bighorn populations in the American Southwest — roughly 800 animals in 665,400 acres of pristine Sonoran Desert.