Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
| Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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El Camino Del Diablo at the eastern entrance to CPNWR, 2014
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 Map of the United States
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| Location | Yuma County / Pima County, Arizona, United States |
| Nearest city | Yuma, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 32°19′N 113°26′W / 32.317°N 113.433°WCoordinates: 32°19′N 113°26′W / 32.317°N 113.433°W |
| Area | 860,010 acres (3,480.3 km2) |
| Established | 1939 |
| Governing body | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge |
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CPNWR) is located in southwestern Arizona in the United States, along 56 miles (90 km) of the Mexico–United States border. It is bordered to the north and to the west by the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, to the south by Mexico's El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, to the northeast by the town of Ajo, and to the southeast by Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Located within the Yuma Desert, a lower-elevation section of the Sonoran Desert, the refuge was originally established in 1939 to protect desert bighorn sheep. Today, it is home to more than 275 different species of animals and nearly 400 species of plants.
CPNWR is the third largest national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states. Its total area is 860,010 acres (3,480 km2), which is greater than that of the state of Rhode Island. The refuge is administered from a small headquarters building, located in Ajo.
Spanish for "dark head," the refuge's name comes from the Cabeza Prieta Mountains in the refuge's northwest part.
803,418 acres (3,251 km2) — amounting to 93% of the total area of CPNWR — was preserved in 1990 as the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the refuge as "the best desert wilderness left in the United States."
There are only three public-use roads in the refuge: El Camino Del Diablo, Christmas Pass Road and Charlie Bell Road. All of these are unpaved, and they are frequently very difficult to travel because of deep mud and sand, sharp rocks, vegetation, and other obstacles. Four-wheel drive vehicles are required on El Camino Del Diablo and Christmas Pass Road. Charlie Bell Road can be traversed in a 2-wheel drive vehicle, provided the vehicle has a high clearance.
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