Rugged And Remote – KOFA National Wildlife Refuge, AZ
Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, and when you talk about the Arizona Desert there are literally millions of acres in which to do this. In a mere 665,400 acre corner of this vast cacti empire is a little-visited spot called the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge. This rather inconspicuous and frankly easily miss-able area (despite its enormous size), occupies a large part of the map along the Eastern side of Hwy 95 between Yuma and Quartzsite, AZ.
The most noticeable part of the refuge are its rather rugged mountains, almost needlepoint sharp protrusions with a gorgeous red/orange cast that I’ve not seen anywhere else except the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. The place is so large it would take almost 5 hours just to drive around the whole thing, and that’s at top speed and ignoring the crazy, rugged roads (most of which require 4WD) that crisscross most of it’s surface.
There is NOTHING here, well….seemingly nothing…and it would appear to be a rather strange place to camp. At least at first glance.
The name KOFA comes from the former gold mine King Of Arizona that was active in the area from 1897 to 1910. Wildlife conservation was established in 1939 with the intent to protect the local bighorn sheep. Through good preservation practices and the establishment/development of multiple watering holes, the refuge now hosts 400-800 of the species within it’s boundaries along with Sonoran Pronghorn and many other interesting animals. It’s also home to native palms (in fact KOFA is the last significant area in AZ where palms are native) and the cherry ontop of all this…it has a superb ghost town.
I’d known about KOFA for years, having driven past it many times and read multiple excellent blog posts from Bayfield Bunch about the area. A few years ago we drove over to do the Palm Canyon hike, but we’d just never considered camping here. Until now.
It was the pitter-patter of fluttering hearts that made us finally decide to give it a try.
You see I’m a push-over for romance and one of our Valentine’s things is to find a really remote place where can just….well….be romantic. For my girly tastes, a rugged time in the boonies is exactly the kind of sentimental and sappy stuff I like. Last year we managed an excursion to the fabulously remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge where, despite a few hundred hunters, we were perfectly isolated. This year KOFA was humming our names and we finally decided to heed the call. We rolled into the area last Thursday and we’ve basically been bumming here ever since.
And this IS the perfect place to bum around.
If you’re looking for people, towns or shopping KOFA is totally the wrong place. This spot is so remote that there’s literally naught but you and nature for miles, and miles, and miles…well, you get the picture. If you’ve got a nimble 4WD you can drive crazy back-country roads and find a campsite so isolated even the Tethered Aerostat Surveillance Balloon that blobs just south of here won’t be able to see you. If you’re “beast-size” like us you may have to settle for a campsite closer to the entrance, but you’ll still have enough space to dance around nekkid and not worry about the neighbors. Quartzsite is at least 25 mins away (which means trash, dump and water is that far away too) so you’re on your own for the entirety of the time you chose to spend here.
I wouldn’t come here to pass the season, but darn it, it’s the perfect place for a lovers getaway.
The only break we’ve had from our isolation here has been a brief visit with friends at Mittry Lake. Through the blogger grapevine I’d heard that lighthouse nut buddy Suzanne was hanging with a mini-commune of both solo and partnered blogger greats including Me & My Dog, Travels With Kimbopolo, On The Road With Riley, Sassy On Da Road, Life’s Little Adventures and Jimbo’s Journey’s plus a bunch of other cool cats. Whoah!
This was a selection of folks, many of which I’ve always wanted to meet (but had somehow always missed) that I just had to see. Polly managed to hurt her leg that day so Paul stayed home while I made the hour drive for happy hour at the lake. It was an awesome meet-up and I wished I could have stayed longer to get to know everyone more intimately and explore the area, but I’m so glad I went. Thanks for inviting me down, gang and hope to see many of you again on the road!
That’s about it folks. Or rather, that’s almost it. I DID tease about a ghost town didn’t I? Given my love of all things wild west and ghostly that’ll just have to wait for it’s very own post. Coming next….
Related Posts:
- A Hundred Hunters (And A Few Birds) – Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, AZ
- Love In the Boonies (And Just A Little Sexy)
The last photo, your red goodnight perfect! love it.
We too made a pass at KOFA a couple of years ago. But the next time around we might as well get a go of it.
It’s a pretty unusual place. I’ve rarely felt more remote…and I’ve been in a lot of remote places.
Nina
We absolutely LOVED our stay at the KOFA in Dec./Jan. We went for the palm canyon hike, and went back a few days later with the house and stayed for 2 weeks. The scenery pulled us there and I got some amazing photos of those rugged, colorful mountains. We will definitely go there again.
It’s definitely a gorgeous place out here. Glad to hear you liked it as much as we have.
Nina
That last picture was really a beauty. All your pictures has been very enjoyable since I have been following you guys.
We are close to getting on the road and have made up our mind it will be this year before we get too old to enjoy it.
3 garage sales down and one to go. The house goes on the market in May or June and we will take off for parts unknown to us. Not sure is we will be brave enough to boondock like you do but maybe we can try it sometime.
Jan
Outstanding! Congrats on your upcoming adventure!
Nina
KOFA looks dreamy and a perfect romantic spot. Beautiful photos.
Totally! Very romantic indeed, if you’re that kind of gal 🙂
Nina
I somehow suspect that KOFA is going to be a place we will always regret not having made this winter season. So much desert… so little time. So glad you have you enjoyed it so.
Totally. It’s taken us 3 years to get here despite driving past almost every single year. Glad we finally made it!
Nina
It was so great to see you again! Thanks for making the trip! The time went too fast, and I didn’t get to visit as much as I would have liked, but I know everyone else was excited to meet you. Maybe I will catch up with you at some California lighthouse. 😉 Sorry we missed Paul. Thanks again for the nice “rig portrait!” Suzanne
Very nice photo of you Suzanne & your home!
Isn’t it? I think that’s the nicest shot I’ve gotten of her. She looks so happy, healthy and relaxed. I sent it to her as soon as I downloaded it and saw it on my screen.
Nina
Yeah I really wish I could have stayed longer and spent more time with you. The group has so many people I’d wanted to meet for ages. Good travels North to you!
Nina
How is Polly?
Lewis
Better today, thank you. Polly sends Lewis kisses and says she misses him terribly.
Nina
The Kofa Mountains have a magical allure all their own & it’s those spiky peaks which remind me of castles & old lumbering dragons. Jeep roads allow one to enter across desert drawbridges into those very mountain castles themselves. Glad you guys enjoyed your time there. Those mountains will draw you back again & again.
Beautifully said! So true, Al. I’ve enjoyed all your posts on the area.
Nina
That area really calls to me and your pics make it even more enticing. The gathering at Mittry looks like a great bunch of folks. I’m sure there was no lack of good conversation to fill the short time 🙂
It WAS a fabulous group of folks at Mittry. Very relaxed atmosphere too. Wish we could have joined them with “the beast”, but we have other plans.
Nina
We talked about joining you guys at KOFA if we had gotten the solar install finished–the cowboy has been working hard, all the panels are now on and wires are run to inside the trailer. We’ve had many volunteers saying they will just boondock with us and plug into our solar system! :)))
Oh I would totally LOVE to see that solar panel installation! You guys are going to be able to power a small village with that set-up! Sadly, this is our last day here. The beach is calling….
Nina
It was so nice to see you again. Maybe one of these times we’ll get to meet Paul.
A few of us managed to put that wine to good use last night. Thanks!
Gayle
Paul’s really just a ghost I made up for the blog LOL. Seriously he was bummed he couldn’t make it. I’m glad the wine got put to good use though. That’s good boondocking etiquette 🙂
Nina
Great post! And timely, as well. We’re planning our first boondocking trip at the end of March in the Quartzite area. Maybe KOFA could work for us. We only have four days but that should be a good test for our first try at the boonies.
Also interested in hearing more about Polly’s injury. My first thought when you mentioned a leg injury was a torn ACL. We went through that with Boo, our Siberian Husky, a year or so ago. She had to go through a surgery to repair it but she’s good as new now and twice as sassy.
Thanks for your wonderful dedication to your blog. We find it so helpful to our travels.
It’s some kind of muscle injury. She gets them occasionally when she has one of her “crazy runs”. I don’t think it’s ACL ‘coz it usually resolves itself within a few days, but it’s certainly possible that she has a small tear which gets aggravated with sharp movement. She’s had three days forced rest now and has stopped limping, but I do still worry about it.
How did your doggie act with the injury? Just the occasional limp or not able to walk at all? I’m really happy to hear she feels good now.
Nina
The ACL tare started out subtle. I first noticed she limped a bit after getting up from a nap. I thought her leg just cramped a bit. Each day it seemed to get a little more pronounced. After about a week, she was limping all the time.
I took her to our local vet who did an x-ray and found the tare. He referred us out to a TPLO specialist in Orange County who confirmed the injury and ultimately did the surgery.
Dr. Eich at the Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital said he’s been seeing more and more of this kind of injury and he isn’t really sure why. It usually happens to dogs who are very active runners. It doesn’t take much (a sharp turn, a stumble in a gofer hole or even a jump out of an SUV) to cause the injury and once it starts, it only gets worse.
Hopefully, Polly (and you guys) won’t have to deal with this kind of an injury. The recovery after the surgery takes a lot from everyone involved.
Polly is definitely better today, but it’s really good to know the symptoms. I’ve known folks who’ve gone thro the surgery with their doggies and it’s definitely tough all-around. I’m also very familiar with ACL injuries in humans. Cheers for sharing the details.
Nina
Having seen Al and Kelly spending time in this area on several occasions, we finally made it there last month. Our original intention was to spend a day checking it out and then return to spend a few days. But after our long day exploring with friends and doing several hikes and Jeep roads, we decided Why, Ajo, and Organ Pipe Cactus NM were pulling at us. Since we had a maintenance appointment in Tucson at the beginning of Feb, we had to actually manage our time (which I don’t like to have to do). So after just a day, we are anxious to return to Kofa sometime and really explore. Your photos do a terrific job showing the peacefulness of the place:)
Please keep us updated on Polly’s leg. Hope she is all right:)
Al’s (Bayfield Bunch) photos definitely drew us here first time around. But you can’t go wrong with Ajo/Why either…such a superb area. So many places to see!
Nina
P.S. Polly is doing OK today. A few days of limping, but forced rest has done its job. It may be a week or so before she’s back to full craziness.
You hit KOFA right on the nose. Peaceful is the perfect word.
I see Pam told you about our trip. Boy are those roads rocky. We just about got seasick in the back seat….hehe Great hikes though.
Some of the roads out here are totally nuts. We couldn’t go too far (except on our bikes) which did limit our exploration somewhat, but our car (and my stomach) doesn’t have what it takes for the rougher stuff.
Nina
Nina, I’m so glad I finally got to meet you! You’re just as nice as I knew you would be, and cute as a button! Hope we cross paths again! I’m sorry Paul couldn’t come, I’ve heard so many great things about him, too, but maybe next time. I’m glad Polly is feeling better. 🙂
Sooooooo glad I finally got to meet you too. I’ve been reading your blog for years and have been in so many of the same spots. Katie is a total cutie too!
Nina
As always, we’re loving your photos and poetic descriptions of your boondocking experiences.
Here’s hoping that Polly is feeling better every day. We don’t want to hear about any of Pipa’s doggie friends getting torn ACLs, like she’s now recovering from after her two recent surgeries. Half-way thru water therapy sessions, and she’s doing very well, but boy, it’s a long full recovery period of 4-5 months.
Don’t do it, Polly, don’t do it! 🙂
Hopefully we will see you guys out there somewhere this year. The house gets emptier by the day. Hope to have it listed in the next month or so.
A torn ACL is tough. I’ve been watching your loooong, slow recovery with Pippa. I’m pretty sure Polly doesn’t have a torn ACL, but she likely has a small injury which could easily be aggravated into something more serious. We’re going to be careful with her.
Nina
Beautiful pics of a large but hidden desert gem. I’ve read of this place a couple years back and was recently trying to think of it again. With your timely reminder I’ve added it to my Wanderlist in the AZ section. Thanks for the reminder!
Aaand…the weather here in WA has been so unusually nice this time of year some friends and I took advantage of the Valentines Day and Presients Day holiday weekend to camp next to the surf at Cape Disappointment State Park. And yes, Nina, we did visit both lighthouses there.
Not that I’d tease you before your summer plans… 😉
{{sigh}} I do miss that lighthouse. We’re going to be back though…for TWO months this year. AND the lighthouse (North Head) will be undergoing renovation right before we arrive. Can’t wait!
Nina
I’d not been there in a while. I was actually disappointed to see how badly neglected and deteriorated the lighthouses there have become. The renovation projects are certainly needed, and in my opinion, worthy.
As I know you will, enjoy your time when you get there. 🙂
Nina, thanks for the info on KOFA Natl Widlife Refuge. We have reservation in Lake HAVASU so will be passing by on this trip but will keep it in mind for next year. Your sunset photos are gorgeous! Safe travels!
Hi Guys. That boondocking location looks amazing! How’s the winds out there by the way?
Question: We may be naive to think we can use our ipad hotspot through Verizon and get mostly decent coverage across the US. Since we will be doing some boondocking in our travels, we’re wondering what you recommend to keep monthly costs down, yet maintain a connection.
Thanks for the great posts and beautiful pictures! Hope to see you down the road someday.
~ DC
Not much wind at all this week, although I can’t speak for the rest of the winter here. I think it’s fairly protected. That said wind is part of being in the desert in winter. There will always be some, it’s just a question of how much!
Regarding Internet we use a Verizon MiFi which works great for us. Verizon has good coverage in almost all the places we’ve travelled. We also carry a booster (Wilson Sleek) to help boost the signal in marginal areas. If you want to learn more about Internet choices I highly recommend Technomadia’s “Mobile Internet Handbook” which they just updated this month:
http://www.rvmobileinternet.com/book
Nina
that does look like a beautiful spot for romance, but then again so many the places you write about have that lure. Looking forward to exploring many of them soooooon … at least I have the boondocking wine etiquette down:)
Cheers for commenting (I forgot to ask you for your blog link when we met), and happy to see the gang is keeping you trained on good boondocking etiquette LOL 🙂
Nina
I lived in AZ for many many years but find there is so much of her that remained unexplored for me. You and other bloggers have opened my eyes to vast open desert that is now beckoning to me. Love that last sunset shot Nina.
We do hope Polly is ok.
Polly seems to be back to herself today. I think it was just some kind of muscle thing (paws crossed). And yeah, that AZ desert is huge…just huge!
Nina
What an artistic shot “Evening Spectacular” is!
Think we will be using it as a reference for a few watercolors this week, with your permission, of course 🙂 I love the fine needle/spine frame that shows when it’s enlarged. That will be the challenge 🙁
Box Canyon Mark
PS Hope you can get some up close shots of Desert Bighorn for me too 🙂
Oh please do!! It’s always an honor when artists want to use any of my work as inspiration. Do post a pic of the result if you do it. Oh, and I’m very happy to send you a larger version too of you need it (I always chop down my pics for the blog), although I know you’ll be adding much more to it with your creativity.
Nina
P.S. Sadly no bighorn sheep pics. I have abysmal luck with bighorn!
Hey Guys,
When we were in AZ a few years ago, I hesitated to take our mountain bikes on dirt roads lined with saguaro’s and other cacti as I expected an almost certain flat tire. Do you do anything special for that, like a liner or special tires?
Thanks,
Mark
That’s a good question. I end up getting ALOT of flats LOL! I know tire pressure is key (not too high for mountain biking) plus I’ve recently converted to a “self-sealing” tube which seems to have helped, but I know there is more you can do. Hard-core bicyclists use tube sealants and tire liners (one of my buddies, who bicycled across the US a few years ago told me tube sealant was key for him), but I’ve got no experience with either.
Maybe some of our cyclists commenters will chime in with more?
Nina
We use self-sealing tubes made by Specialized and keep the tire pressures around 40psi. We’ve done quite a bit of desert riding with no flats.
Good tips! Glad you guys piped in with your experience. Seems I’m on the right track with my new self-sealing tubes. Good to know about the exact tire pressure too.
Nina
In the photo of happy hour at Mittry Lake, what kind of RV is that red and white one in the background? Thanks!
Both the blue/white and the red/white rigs are Lazy Daze…very solid Class C brand.
Nina
Awesome, thanks!!!
In all the times we have been in that area we have never been to KOFA…now with our new truck camper it looks even more appealing… love the last photo and as you know I am a sucker for any sunrise and sunset photos…enjoy your next spot back to “civilization”
There are lots of amazing, remote sites for a truck camper in KOFA. We came across a guy while we were out biking who was waaaaay back there on one of the rough roads. Beautiful campsite. You’d be able to get right up to the mountains too.
Nina