Lower Sonoran Field Office

The BLM Lower Sonoran Office manages 1.4 million acres of public land in south-central Arizona, including the half-million acre Sonoran Desert National Monument, located 60 miles southwest of Phoenix. The monument contains biologically diverse national communities, including large Saguaro cactus forests and contains many significant archaeological and historic sites. In an effort to rehabilitate damage from off-highway vehicles, access to about 20 percent of the monument has been temporarily closed to motorized use.

Public lands within this field office are near developed and expanding communities and are heavily used. The lands are managed for multiple use and provide diverse recreational opportunities, mining, wildlife habitat, grazing, and wilderness, all overlaying a rich cultural past. The field office oversees six wilderness areas, four Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail and one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office is a part of the BLM Phoenix District.

National Conservation Lands

National Monument

Sonoran Desert National Monument

National Historic Trail

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Wilderness Areas

• North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness
• Sierra Estrella Wilderness
• South Maricopa Mountains Wilderness
• Signal Mountain Wilderness
• Table Top Wilderness
• Woolsey Peak Wilderness

Things to Do

View all recreation activities in Arizona

Camping

Camping on Public Lands

• Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground
• Margie's Cove West Campground

Recreational Target Shooting

• Box Canyon Recreational Shooting Site
• Recreational Shooting
• Phoenix Area Recreational Shooting Sports Project

OHV

OHVs on Public Lands 

Do I need an OHV Decal? 

Resident and non-resident off-highway vehicles (OHVs) must display a valid OHV decal to operate on public and state trust lands in Arizona. Learn more and purchase an OHV decal. 

Maps and Publications

• Sonoran Desert National Monument Map
• Sonoran Desert National Monument Brochure
• Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground Map
• Arizona State Recreation and Historic Sites Map 
• BLM Arizona Office Locations Map

View other maps and publications at our Online Public Room

Planning

BLM encourages the public to get involved in the planning process to help determine how public lands will be managed. View the National NEPA Register for online review and comment on BLM planning and implementation projects.