Overview

Walking Box Ranch (WBR) Road is a graded dirt road that runs southwest from Highway 164, passes the historical Walking Box Ranch, and continues down into California where it ends at Castle Mountain Gold Mine, an active mine operated by Equinox Gold. WBR Road traverses grand, open scenery and desert grasslands as it runs across Avi Kwa Ami National Monument into California and Castle Mountains National Monument.

At about 0.8 miles out, WBR Road passes Walking Box Ranch, on the left. Walking Box Ranch is an historical home and cattle operation site managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with help from Friends of Avi Kwa Ame. The site is available for researchers and occasional tours, but otherwise it is closed to the public. The area is watched by several law enforcement officers who live on-site in travel trailers.

Farther out, several little-used dirt roads make nice walking trails.

Link to road map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ... WBR Road is graded and easy to drive, but storms can damage the road where it crosses sandy washes. The road normally is passable in 2WD vehicles.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this road runs into remote areas, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

WBR Road runs straight and wide for long distances, inviting exhibitions of speed. Keep in mind, however, that there are a fair number of Desert Tortoises in the area, and squished turtles aren't pretty. Watch for mine-company trucks using the road too.

Getting to the Roadhead

WBR Road is located in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, about 1 hour south of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive south on Highway 95 (US-95 S/I-515 S) to Searchlight. From downtown Searchlight (intersection of Highway 95 and Highway 164), turn right and drive west for 7.0 miles to Walking Box Ranch Road, on the left. Highway signs announce arrival at the intersection, and a large BLM entrance sign sits across the intersection. After passing a large Joshua Tree on the left, a stop sign and a street sign become visible too.

Alternatively, from town, drive south on Interstate-15, past Primm, to Nipton Road in California. Exit the Interstate and turn left onto Nipton Road. Drive east, through Nipton, to the Nevada State Line. Continue east for another 11.6 miles to Walking Box Ranch Road, on the right.

The Road

From Highway 164 (Table 1, Site 1992), WBR Road heads south-southwest into the desert, which is thick with Joshua Trees, Mojave Yucca, Creosote Bush, and lots of other shrubs and annual plants.

At about 0.23 miles out, WBR Road passes a cattle guard, and the adventure really begins.

WBR Road runs straight, then at about 0.73 miles out, bends a bit right and passes a spur road on the left. This is the service entrance to Walking Box Ranch. Just past this road, a BLM sign announces Walking Box Ranch.

At about 0.77 miles out, as WBR Road bends a bit more to the right, it encounters another spur road (Site 1993) to the left. This second road is the public entrance road to Walking Box Ranch.

Walking Box Ranch is an historical ranch site managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with help from Friends of Avi Kwa Ame. The site is open to occasional public tours, but otherwise it is closed to the public. Several police officers live on site, so don't try to sneak in.

Beyond the public entrance road, WBR Road quickly passes a third spur into the ranch area, then begins curving back to the left. The road runs straight (due south) for a short distance, then curves back to the right to resume the exact same line the road was following before it curved to get around the ranch. At this curve (about 1.12 miles out), WBR Road passes the last spur road back into the ranch area.

Now heading south-southwest again, WBR Road runs more-or-less straight until about 5.05 miles out. At this point, the road bends a bit left to dip through a deep wash. Climbing out the other side, WBR Road resumes following the original line.

At about 7.4 miles out, WBR Road bends right and shortly makes a sweeping curve left, passing an old corral complex on the right (Site 1994). This corral is the trailhead for the Grasslands Trail, a 4-mile loop that follows narrow dirt roads through desert grasslands to the east. This is also a nice campsite.

Past the Grasslands Trailhead, WBR Road runs southeast towards the Castle Mountains, then bends right to run south, then bends right again to run southwest. At this second bend, 8.8 miles out, a minor road to the east is the road used by the Grasslands Trail as it loops back on WBR Road to the trailhead.

Now running southwest and more-or-less straight, WBR Road runs out to the California-Nevada state line (9.9 miles out; Site 1995). Crossing into California, Walking Box Ranch Road enters Castle Mountains National Monument, which is managed by the National Park Service, in contrast to Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Rules are different in NPS managed areas, and in particular, ATV-type vehicles and drones are prohibited.

Entering California, WBR Road also crosses into the 2023 York Fire burn zone. The fire burned some 93,000 acres, and in this area, fire crews mostly held the line along Walking Box Ranch Road. This makes a good comparison between burned areas on the right and unburned areas on the left. Some plant species will grow back in the burn zone, but the contrast will last for decades.

WBR Road continues running southwest for a bit, but then curves to the left to run south. Just past the curve, about 11.8 miles out, the road crosses the trace of the Barnwell and Searchlight Railroad. Nothing remains, and the railroad bed looks like a dirt road.

Now running more-or-less south, WBR Road winds through Castle Mountains National Monument following low country between the New York Mountains to the west and the Castle Mountains to the east.

At about 16.0 miles out, WBR Road passes through a small area where the York Fire jumped the road, but firefighters caught it quickly, and by 16.3 miles out, the east side of the road is unburned again. In this area, the flat-topped mountains to the south are tailings piles from the mine.

At about 16.8 miles out, WBR Road passes a graded road to the right. This is Hart Mine Road (Road 144), which provides access into the Lanfair Valley portion of Mojave National Preserve. Unfortunately, the York Fire burned wooden culverts under this road, making the road surface subject to sudden collapse under the weight of a vehicle. Hart Mine Road is closed until repairs are made.

Continuing south, at about 17.1 miles out, WBR Road passes a large, rusting water tank on the right. Shortly, the road begins bending left until it runs due east and, at about 17.8 miles out, reaches the gates of Castle Mountain Mine, which is private property owned by Equinox Gold. The original mine was called Hart Mine after Hart Mountain.

For most visitors, WBR Road is an in-and-out drive, but there are ways to continue into the desert from several points along the road.