Black Mountain HMA

Descendants of burros brought by miners and prospectors from the early 1860s. These burros are of North African ancestry.

Location: The Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) is in extreme northwestern Arizona, 15 miles west of Kingman. The area parallels the eastern shoreline of the Colorado River for 80 miles, from Hoover Dam south to the Needles Bridge in California. The historic gold mining town of Oatman lies in the center of the southern half of the HMA, along Historic Route 66.

Size: Black Mountain is the largest HMA in Arizona, with about 1.1 million acres of Mojave Desert shrub and Grand Canyon desert shrub.

Topography/Vegetation: This region is volcanic in origin, resulting in an area that is characterized by large mesas, steep cliffs, slopes, rocky foothills, alluvial fans and sandy washes. The climate is hot, windy and dry, with summertime temperatures exceeding 120 degrees. The winter lows can be 25 degrees. Along the Colorado River, the area receives an average rainfall of three inches. But, at the higher peaks, the soil drinks in up to 12 inches of rain annually.

Wildlife: There are three wilderness areas within the Black Mountain HMA boundaries. Combined with its rugged topography, a wide variety of animals live here year round. In fact, the mountains are home to the largest herd of desert bighorn sheep on public lands in the nation.

AML: 382-478