About this place
The Mount Nutt Wilderness covers 28,080 acres in Mohave County, 15 miles west of Kingman and 12 miles east of Bullhead City.
It takes in an eight-mile stretch of the central Black Mountains, the highest part of them.
Nutt Mountain stands over it all at 5,216 feet, in colorful, wild country.
Along the main ridgeline, prominent mesas have been cut into steep, maze-like canyons.
Huge volcanic plugs stand all around the wilderness, outward from that ridgeline.
Desert bighorn sheep live here. Scattered springs keep small oases of large cottonwoods, willows and oaks alive.
There is walking, camping, hunting, photography and rock scrambling, and all of it is challenging.
Motors and machines are generally banned on any federal land designated as wilderness. That covers motor vehicles and off-highway vehicles, motorboats, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts and portage wheels. Landing an aircraft or a helicopter counts too.
Ask the agency if you need more on the rules. The detail matters in a wilderness, and getting it wrong carries a penalty.
The summer climate here is harsh. Daytime temperatures run over 100 degrees.
Between October 1 and April 30th it is more moderate.
The terrain is extremely rugged. A few old vehicle ways make walking routes in places, but most people use the sand washes that cut through the area.
Bighorn sheep and burro trails can often be found and followed on the uplands.
Water is scarce. Carry all you need, and purify anything you find.
Some of the land around the wilderness, and inside it, is not federal. Do not cross it or use it without the owner’s permission.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Roads around it
- Four-wheel drive for the Twin Springs way in. Any vehicle will do for Cave Spring
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
For the Twin Springs access you need a four-wheel drive. From Highway 93 north of Kingman, turn west onto Highway 68. Follow Highway 68 to Estrella Rd. Go south on Estrella Rd for 4.7 miles to Shinarump Dr. Turn right onto Shinarump Dr and go 0.5 miles to Kaibab Rd. Turn left, south, onto Kaibab Rd and go 2.4 miles to a jeep trail on your right. Turn onto it and follow the wilderness boundary about a mile to the trailhead parking.
For the Cave Spring access, any vehicle will do. From Kingman, follow Highway 93 north to Highway 68. Turn west onto Highway 68 and follow it about 9 miles to Estrella Rd. Head south on Estrella Rd for 4.7 miles to Shinarump Dr. Turn right onto Shinarump Dr and go 2.0 miles to Guthrie Rd. Turn right onto Guthrie Rd and park in the small rock-lined area on your left.
Coordinates 35.104182, -114.352807
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
A few more of our own spots are within reach of this one, along with some better-known places.
- Route 66 Oatman Road Back Country Byway Directions
- Davis Dam Directions
- Spirit Mountain Directions
- Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Directions
- Mount Manchester Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Oatman, AZ Directions
- Golden Valley, AZ Directions
Golden Valley is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026.