Avi Kwa Ame National Monument ~ Peacefulness in the Backcountry

MARCH 2025

Not many people know the backcountry roads of this monument better than Alan O’Neill, and this month he’s been in overdrive (pun intended) exploring and verifying some of his favorite routes along with fellow board member Shannon Marberry so that we can share them with you later this month. While there are only a handful of paved roads within Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, there are over SEVEN HUNDRED MILES of designated backcountry roads running alongside some of the most diverse and scenic landscapes in the Mojave Desert. 

It is very dry out in the monument right now as the plant and animal life contend with the prolonged drought and very little precipitation. However, despite the strain, there are still some early signs of the desert waking up from winter. Small stands of brittle bush are in bloom, and along the Castle Mountains Backcountry Drive bighorn sheep run along mountainous ridges. A few rabbits can be spotted darting about (an encouraging sign for our resident raptors, like the pair of golden eagles that Alan spotted on his recent Ireteba Peaks drive).