Unit 268, Nevada

Rugged Mojave Desert terrain dominated by the Muddy and North Muddy Mountains in Clark County. Elevation ranges from approximately 1,650 feet in the valley floors to 5,400 feet at Muddy Peak. Landscape features steep canyon faces, rugged limestone cliffs layered over sandstone (due to a thrust fault), slot canyons (including Anniversary Narrows with a 600-foot-deep slot), broken granite slopes, and conglomerate hills. The Muddy Mountains Wilderness (48,019 acres) at the core is extremely steep and rugged. Terrain is accessible along road margins but very demanding in the wilderness interior.

Unit 268 is bounded on the northwest by Interstate 15 to Moapa, on the east by State Route 167 and SR 169 (Northshore Road/Moapa Valley Boulevard), on the southeast by SR 167 and SR 564 (Lake Mead Parkway), and on the southwest by US Highway 93 between Las Vegas and Henderson. The unit is approximately 81% public land (67% BLM managed by the Las Vegas Field Office at 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas NV 89103; 14% NPS within Lake Mead National Recreation Area). Valley of Fire State Park is within the unit boundary but prohibits hunting; it does provide access corridors via the Valley of Fire Highway. The Muddy Mountains Wilderness (48,019 acres, BLM/NPS joint management) surrounds Muddy Peak and prohibits all motorized equipment and mechanized transport including wheeled game carriers. Hidden Valley is accessed via the Bitter Springs Backcountry Byway approximately 3 miles east of I-15 Exit 75 on Valley of Fire Highway, then south about 4 miles (4WD/high-clearance required). The Bowl of Fire and Anniversary Narrows are accessible from Northshore Road (SR 169); Callville Wash Road/Road 94 turns north off Northshore Road at mile marker 16 (4WD recommended). North Muddy Mountains and California/Weisser Ridges are accessible via county and BLM dirt roads off SR 169 and I-15. Primitive camping is available on BLM lands; paid campsites with RV hookups are at Valley of Fire State Park and Lake Mead NRA. Full services in Henderson, Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Overton. ATVs and side-by-sides are commonly used on BLM roads outside wilderness.

Mojave Desert shrubland dominates: creosote bush, white bursage, blackbrush, beavertail cactus, catclaw acacia, yucca, and desert willow in wash bottoms. Rare plants including Las Vegas buckwheat and Las Vegas bearpoppy occur in gypsum-rich red soils at lower elevations. Vegetation is entirely Mojave low-desert scrub with no significant pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, or riparian zones. Wildlife guzzlers distributed across the unit support bighorn sheep and other wildlife year-round; three guzzlers are within the wilderness and five guzzlers plus natural springs exist in the ridges north and east of White Basin.

Desert bighorn sheep (Nelson/desert subspecies) are the flagship species. The Muddy Mountains hold an estimated 600 animals (2025 NDOW estimate), described by NDOW as the largest desert bighorn herd in Nevada. This population has been unaffected by respiratory disease (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) seen across the West and has served as a translocation source for Utah and other Nevada herds. Larger ram groups concentrate around water guzzlers and natural springs in the ridges north and east of White Basin and south of Valley of Fire State Park. The North Muddy Mountains, Weisser Ridge, and California Ridge hold sheep during years of good forage; herds contract around perennial water sources in drought years. Density lessens west toward Monocline Valley and Buffington Pockets. Mule deer are present but at low density throughout most of the unit; the unit is managed under the 261-268 unit group with most Area 26 mule deer concentrated in the Spring Mountains (Unit 262). Mountain lion occur throughout. Additional wildlife includes coyote, kit fox, black-tailed jackrabbit, desert tortoise, chuckwalla, Gila monster, and various raptors and desert birds. No elk are documented in Unit 268.