National Wildlife Refuges - Region 2
Region 2 includes the states of Arizona, Oklahoma and New Mexico
 Havasu Wilderness Area - (AZ) -
Havasu NWR
Cabeza Prieta Wilderness Area - (AZ) -
Cabeza Prieta NWR
Imperial Wilderness Area - (AZ) -
Imperial NWR
Kofa Wilderness Area - (AZ) - Kofa NWR
Charons Garden Wilderness Area - (OK)
- Wichita Mountain NWR
North Mountain Wilderness Area - (OK) -
Wichita Mountain NWR
Chupadera Wilderness - (NM) -
Bosque Del Apache NWR
Indian Well Wilderness - (NM) - Bosque Del Apache NWR
Little San Pascual Wilderness - (NM) -
Bosque Del Apache NWR
Salt Creek Wilderness Area - (NM) - Bitter Lake NWR
Havasu Wilderness Area - Arizona
Havasu NWR
This 14,606 acre area is located within the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. The western boundary of
the area is the Colorado River. The area includes volcanic spires, a large sand dune with vegetation
varying from riparian wetlands grading into Mojave Desert uplands. The habitats consist of open water,
emergent vegetation, subaquatics, grading into harsh dry mountains, desert uplands and washes.
Vegetation is dominated by creosote bush, a variety of trees in washes with willows and salt cedar at the
river edges. Unique wildlife include the endangered Yuma Clapper rail and desert bighorn sheep.
Boating occurs along the river, with heavy traffic during summer months. Access to the area is by boat or
foot.
Cabeza Prieta Wilderness Area - Arizona
Cabeza Prieta NWR
Under the 1990 Arizona Desert Wilderness Act, 803,418 acres of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife
Refuge in southwestern Arizona became a designated wilderness area. The area consists of pristine
Sonoran desert habitat dominated by wide, flat valleys alternating with rugged mountain ranges. The area
is home to desert bighorn sheep and several endangered species including the Sonoran pronghorn and
lesser long-nosed bat. Allowed uses include hiking, photography, bighorn sheep hunting, and 4-wheel-
drive travel on the historic Camino del Diablo.
Imperial Wilderness Area - Arizona
Imperial NWR
This 9,220 acre area is located within the Imperial NWR in southwestern Arizona. The habitat consists of
desert uplands ranging in elevation from 220 to 2800 feet. These desert uplands are part of the Lower
Colorado Subdivision of the Sonoran Desert, one of the hottest and driest regions in the United States.
The Imperial Wilderness Area adjoins 23 miles of the Colorado River. A dynamic relationship exists
between the riparian corridor of the river and the xeric desert habitats immediately adjacent to it. Many
unique wildlife species occur in the Wilderness area, including desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoise,
and these are often closely associated with the river corridor. Allowed uses include hiking for wildlife-
oriented activities such as wildlife observation and hunting.
Kofa Wilderness Area - Arizona
Kofa NWR
Kofa Wilderness Area is located within the Kofa NWR in southwestern Arizona. The wilderness area is
516,300 acres in size. Located in the Sonoran Desert, the climate for the wilderness is characterized by
long, hot summers; short, mild winters; and low annual precipitation. Two major mountain ranges, the
Kofa and Castle Dome Mountains, and the broad King Valley dominate the wilderness landscape.
Interesting plants include several specie of cacti and localized populations of native palm trees. The
desert bighorn sheep is one of the areas most unique wildlife species. Allowed public uses include hiking,
camping, hunting, and wildlife observation.
Charons Garden Wilderness Area - Oklahoma
Wichita Mountain NWR
This 5,723-acre area is located within the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma.
The habitat consists of rock-studded mixed-grass prairie lands, cross-timbers type forested drainages and
granite mountains. Lichens clothe the granite rocks, grasses range from short-grass species to lush stands
of bluestem, and forests of oak and juniper grow along stream courses. The terrain is dominated by Elk
Mountain with precipitous south and southwest slopes sharply faulted and cut by steep chimneys, many
filled with a jumble of boulders. Unique wildlife include Rocky Mountain elk, bison, and the endangered
black-capped vireo. Allowed uses include backpack camping by permit only with restrictions on length of
stay and number of campers, unrestricted day-hiking and photography, guided interpretive hikes, elk
hunting by permit, and research by permit.
North Mountain Wilderness Area - Oklahoma
Wichita Mountain NWR
This 2,847-acre area is located in the north-central part of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in
southwestern Oklahoma. The area exhibits a more pronounced erosional pattern than the rugged
escarpments found elsewhere on the refuge. Habitat is essentially a grassland complex interspersed with
woody areas of black-jack and post oaks. Timbered areas are found in"bands" which follow geologic
joints. Unique wildlife include Rocky Mountain elk, bison, and the endangered black-capped vireo.
Allowed uses include research by permit only, and deer and elk hunting by permit only.
Chupadera Wilderness - New Mexico
Bosque Del Apache NWR
This 5,289-acre wilderness unit is located within the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in
central New Mexico. Located between I-25 and the Refuge's west boundary, where other access is
available off local ranch and BLM roads. These rolling sage hills, arroyos, ridges and mesas have
scattered juniper, sumac and mesquite support wildlife including desert songbirds, mule deer, quail,
rabbits, coyote, and occasional mountain lion, as well as numerous desert wildflowers. This area also
protects Native American archeological sites. Allowed uses included hiking, photography, wildlife
observation and hunting within refuge regulations. This is a desert area with no water, check at visitor
center for safety information before entering.
Indian Well Wilderness - New Mexico
Bosque Del Apache NWR
This 5,139-acre wilderness unit consists of a series of small ridges and mesas with scenic overlooks
providing views of the refuge marshes. The two mile Canyon Nature Trail located off Highway One, 1.3
miles south of the Visitor Center gives access to this scenic area. Wildlife here includes thrashers, quail,
raptors, rabbits and various lizards, as well as numerous spring and summer wildflowers growing among
the saltbrush, creosote and mesquite. This area also protects Native American archeological sites.
Allowed uses included hiking, photography, wildlife observation and hunting within refuge regulations.
This is a desert area with no water, check at visitor center for safety information before entering.
Little San Pascual Wilderness - New Mexico
Bosque Del Apache NWR
This 19,859-acre wilderness unit lies on the east side of the Rio Grande, with access off local ranch and
BLM roads. Relatively level desert area with the exception of Little San Pascual Mountain and San
Pascualito, which provide more rugged terrain. Desert wildlife includes mule deer, pronghorn, coyote,
quail, roadrunners, and reptiles. Vegetation is 4-wing saltbrush, creosote, cacti, and numerous desert
wildflowers. Allowed uses included hiking, photography, wildlife observation and hunting within refuge
regulations. This is a desert area with no water, check at visitor center for safety information before
entering.
Salt Creek Wilderness Area - New Mexico
Bitter Lake NWR
This 9,621 acres area is located within the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern New
Mexico. Salt Creek runs the entire length of the wilderness area, but is normally dry or has only
intermittent stretches of open water. Salt Creek has been invaded by dense stands of salt cedar, a salt-
tolerant shrub or low growing tree, which marks its path as a tributary branch of the Pecos River, which
flows a few hundred feet outside of the wilderness boundary. Although within sight of a major highway,
it remains a place of solitude, where signs of human presence are seldom seen. A reddish bluff looks out
over the Salt Creek bottomlands from the north, a place where signs of earlier, primitive people can still
be found. Along the side of this bluff there is a gypsum sinkhole, with banks descending some 40 feet to
water. Due to the color of this water, it has received the name of Ink Pot. Rattlesnakes are quite common
in locations such as this, as are mule deer, whose trails descend to the creek bottom and are found
throughout a series of sand dunes on the opposite side of the creek.
Source: US Fish & Wildlife Services
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