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Mount Nutt Wilderness

Nature & parks
Near Oatman, Arizona
4.0 mi from Route 66

In the central Black Mountains near Oatman, AZ, about 4 miles off the old road, Mount Nutt Wilderness protects a piece of rough desert country. It was set aside in 1990, and the Bureau of Land Management looks after it. Deep canyons, steep mesas and old volcanic plugs surround Mount Nutt itself, and two trails give Route 66 travelers a chance to leave the car behind for a desert hike.

What is Mount Nutt Wilderness?

The Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990 created this wilderness. Its landscape is a tangle of canyons and mesas ringed by volcanic plugs, with Mount Nutt, the peak that gives the area its name, topping out at 5,216 feet.

Several springs keep patches of cottonwood, willow and oak alive in this dry country, and the same water supports a small herd of desert bighorn sheep. Two named trails lead into the area: the Twin Springs Trail and the Cave Spring Trail.

Visiting Mount Nutt Wilderness: tips

This is a place for a planned hike, not a quick roadside stop, so allow half a day. No facilities are on record, so carry plenty of water, sun protection and a map, and avoid the hottest part of a summer day. Sitgreaves Pass on the old road is about 4.1 miles away, and Elephants Tooth and the Durlin Hotel in Oatman are each about 5.6 miles away.

Practical info

Website: blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/wildareas/nutt.html
Hours: We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

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Mount Nutt Wilderness with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Mount Nutt Wilderness

All of Arizona

Sitgreaves Pass

Oatman, Arizona · on Route 66

The steep, twisting Black Mountains summit on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

4.1 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

Elephants Tooth

Oatman, Arizona · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A tall rock pillar at the edge of Oatman, AZ, rising beside the last miles of Route 66 into town.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

5.6 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

Durlin Hotel

Oatman, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A 1924 adobe hotel from Oatman's gold era, the county's only two-story adobe building.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

5.6 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

Oatman

Oatman, Arizona · on Route 66

A former gold camp in the Black Mountains that Route 66 still runs straight through.

Ghost townPhoto credit

5.6 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

Oatman Drug Company Building

Oatman, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A 1915 false-front building from Oatman's mining boom, one of the few that survived the town's 1921 fire.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

5.7 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

Cool Springs Station

Golden Valley, Arizona · on Route 66

A 1920s stone gas station on the Oatman mountain road, blown up for a movie and rebuilt from old photos.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

5.9 mi from Mount Nutt Wilderness

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