Mesquite Wilderness

About Mesquite Wilderness

The Mesquite Wilderness consists of portions of the Mesquite Mountains, Mesquite Valley, and the Clark Mountain Range. Numerous small caves are found in the porous rock of the Clark Mountains. Dominant vegetation ranges from the creosote brush sage association on the bajadas to blackbrush, Joshua trees, and pinyon-juniper at the higher elevations. Barrel cactus gardens are also found in some locations. Wildlife is typical for the Mojave Desert. The southwestern corner of the wilderness provides critical habitat for the desert tortoise. The wilderness is in the eastern portion of the sector and consists of 44,805 acres.

How to Get There

From Needles, CA, take I-40 west approx. 10 miles to the U.S. Highway 95 north exit. Exit north and take U.S. Highway 95 approx. 45 miles to NV State Route 164 (Searchlight, NV). Turn left on SR 164 and drive approx. 20 miles to the CA/NV state line. The road turns into Nipton Road. Drive on Nipton Road approx. 15 miles to I-15. Take I-15 west approx. 15 miles to Cima Road. Turn right at the Cime Road exit and take Excelsior Mine/Kingston Road north approx. 10 miles. A wilderness kiosk sign will be on your right hand side.

Plan Your Visit to Mesquite Wilderness

Heading to Mesquite Wilderness? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)