Cofer Hot Springs (Ha'Kamwe')

Current status: closed to the public

Cofer Hot Springs is not a place to soak. The spring, which the Hualapai call Ha’Kamwe’, is a sacred site of the Hualapai Tribe and lies on or beside the tribe’s Cholla Canyon Ranch in the Big Sandy River valley near Wikieup. Federal land-status maps show the spot as non-public land. There is no public trail, parking area or permit system, and visiting without the tribe’s permission is trespassing.

This page exists because the name turns up on hot spring maps and lists, sometimes with directions, as if it were a free roadside soak like others along US 93. It is not. If you are driving between Phoenix and Las Vegas and want a hot spring stop in this valley, go to Kaiser Hot Springs on BLM land instead (see below).

What the site is

The spring rises near the Big Sandy River, the long, mostly dry river that runs south past Wikieup in Mohave County, roughly halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. A 2001 environmental impact statement for the Big Sandy Energy Project recorded a discharge of about 290 acre-feet of water a year, which is a substantial flow for a desert spring.

The Hualapai Tribe’s Cholla Canyon Ranch covers about 360 acres of the valley, with the riparian corridor of the Big Sandy River along its west side. The tribe’s members visit the spring from the ranch, and the ranch has a caretaker. According to High Country News, the ranch was placed in federal trust in 2022 as part of becoming reservation land, which means it is now held for the tribe rather than owned as ordinary private land.

Why it matters to the Hualapai

For the Hualapai, Ha’Kamwe’ is more than a water source. High Country News describes the surrounding valley as a place with ceremony sites and ancestral burials, part of an ancient salt route, and a source of native plants the tribe harvests for traditional items such as cradle boards and drums. The tribe has worked for years to protect both the spring’s water and the land around it.

In 2014, Mohave County supported the tribe’s efforts to limit groundwater withdrawals that could affect the spring. More recently, the tribe has raised concerns about the Big Sandy lithium project. In 2021 Hawkstone Mining, which had taken over the earlier USA Lithium venture, had drilled nearly 50 exploration wells more than 300 feet deep on Bureau of Land Management land in the valley and planned to expand drilling around the ranch. Its longer-term ideas included an open-pit mine and a slurry pipeline of about 50 miles to a processing plant in Kingman. The BLM identified cultural resource sites in the proposed drilling area. We have not found a final decision on a mine; check recent news if you follow the issue.

Getting there (and why you should not)

Wikieup is a small town on US 93 in the Big Sandy valley, about an hour’s drive southeast of Kingman. The spring is a short distance from the highway, but the land around it belongs to the tribe, and old directions that lead you down ranch roads or across fences lead to trespass. Do not try to reach it. Do not use the river corridor as a back way in.

If you want to see the valley, stay on US 93 and public roads, and stop in Wikieup for fuel and food.

Where to soak instead

Kaiser Hot Springs is the nearest legal soak. It sits on BLM land near Wikieup, off US 93, and is reached by a walk down a desert wash to a small, primitive pool. It has no facilities and is free. Check flash flood risk and current conditions before you go, since washes here run fast after storms.

Farther afield, the Black Canyon springs below Hoover Dam, such as Arizona Hot Springs, are the best-known public hot springs in northwest Arizona. They are a strenuous hike or a paddle, and the hiking trails close every summer from May 15 to September 30. For a resort soak, Castle Hot Springs north of Phoenix takes overnight guests only.

When to go

Never, for Cofer Hot Springs itself. For the Big Sandy valley and Kaiser Hot Springs, October to April is the comfortable season. Summer highs on US 93 through this stretch are routinely extreme, and monsoon storms from July to September bring flash floods.

Rules and etiquette

• Treat Ha’Kamwe’ as what it is: a sacred site on tribal land. Do not enter, photograph from inside the property or post directions.
• If you see the spring listed somewhere as public, assume the listing is out of date.
• On nearby BLM land, follow BLM rules: stay on existing roads, pack out trash and do not build pools or dams in springs.

Where to stay nearby

Wikieup has limited services strung along US 93: fuel, a few places to eat and RV parking. Kingman, about an hour north, has the nearest full range of hotels and services. BLM land in the valley allows dispersed camping in places away from private and tribal land; check with the BLM Kingman Field Office before you set up.

Safety notes

• Trespass: the main risk here is legal, not physical. Tribal land is enforced.
• Heat and floods: if you head to Kaiser Hot Springs instead, carry plenty of water, and stay out of washes when storms are possible.
• Road: US 93 through the valley is busy with fast truck traffic. Pull fully off the road if you stop.