Location

The Mormon Mountain Wilderness is located in southern Lincoln County with a portion in northeastern Clark County, approximately 60 miles from Las Vegas.

Getting There

Access to the northern portion of the Wilderness is from Glendale, Nevada east 14 miles on federal highway 15 to an unnamed county road northbound. Access to the northern portion of the Wilderness starting in Caliente, Nevada is achieved via state highway 317 through Elgin, Lyman Crossing, and Carp.

Area Description

The Mormon Mountains region is a land of mountain ranges and canyons that offer colorful geology, majestic wildlife, amazing archaeological sites and beautiful country where one can escape fast city life. From rolling bajadas speckled with cholla, yucca and Joshua trees, to intricately carved canyons forested with pinyon pine and juniper, and jagged mountain peaks topped with stands of old-growth ponderosa pine. Each landscape contains inspiring beauty and jaw-dropping surprises. The various climates and elevations in these areas provide important habitat for a wide spectrum of wildlife. The low elevations provide habitat for the desert tortoise, the banded Gila monster, the white bearpoppy, Clark mountain agave, desert banded gecko, the sidewinder and the long-nosed leopard lizard. Higher in the mountains, it's possible to spot desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, bobcat and mountain lion. An impressive variety of raptors live in the area. Burrowing owl, golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, red-tailed hawk, prairie falcon, Cooper's hawk, northern harrier, merlin and American kestrel are some of the birds of prey that have been spotted in the region.

The Mormon Mountains give a glimpse into the distant past, fossils in the limestone hills are snapshots of life hundreds of millions of years ago, when these high inland mountains were merely sediments accumulating at the bottom of the sea. The mountains give a bird's-eye view of nature's erosional forces at work.

Throughout the Mormon Mountains region are some of the most amazing and valuable prehistoric sites in Nevada. In these areas are literally thousands of archaeological sites that offer telling glimpses into the lives of people who lived in the area hundreds and thousands of years ago. The explorer might find petroglyphs, pictographs, agave roasting pits, prehistoric camp sites, rock shelters, grinding stones and other evidence of past lives in the area.

Additional Information

Signs indicating "Wilderness" and "Closed Road" or "Closed Route" are placed at various intervals. Vehicles can be parked outside the wilderness boundary; however, the boundary is set back 100 feet on roads.

Mechanized and motorized vehicles are NOT PERMITTED in a wilderness area.

Hunting, fishing, and non-commercial trapping are allowed under state and local laws. Pets are allowed, but please keep your pets under control at all times. Horses are permitted, however you may need to carry feed. Removal, disturbance, or attempting to remove archaeological materials is a felony. Selling, receiving, purchasing, transporting, exchanging or offering to do so is prohibited by law.

Camping is permitted, limited to 14 days. After 14 days campers must relocate at least 25 miles from previous site (interim policy, until wilderness planning is complete). Gathering wood for campfires, when permitted, is limited to dead and down material. Live vegetation cannot be cut.

Please help preserve Nevada's fragile environments, park your vehicle or set up camp in previously used sites, minimize impacts by practicing Leave No Trace ethics.

Contact Ely Bureau of Land Management Field Office for current weather, road conditions, and hazards.

Contact Info:

Ely BLM Field Office
Phone: 775-289-1800
http://www.nv.blm.gov/ely