Pakoon Springs, AZ

Location Overview
Pakoon Springs sits within the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, roughly 50 miles southwest of St. George, Utah, and about five miles from the Nevada border. The gravel airstrip occupies the secluded Pakoon Basin of Mohave County, Arizona, managed by the BLM. The surrounding terrain is classic Arizona Strip high desert — stark volcanic mountains, Joshua trees, and sweeping washes — with the spring itself forming a rare riparian green zone amid an otherwise harsh landscape. The springs represent the largest spring system in the one-million-acre monument and one of the largest on the entire Arizona Strip.

Camping & Recreation
On-site structures include airstrip buildings, water tanks, and two large carports that offer shade. No restrooms are available, and access to the buildings themselves is restricted. The main structure features southwestern architecture and is monitored by cameras. The surrounding area offers outstanding opportunities for 4WD exploration, wildlife watching, and hiking. Visitors can walk a short quarter-mile trail to the springs, and the area is home to desert tortoise — which are especially active in spring and should be given a wide berth. The nearby Tassi Ranch historic site provides additional exploration, and the broader Pakoon Basin loop is a popular destination for off-road vehicles.

Notes & Warnings
Pakoon Springs airstrip is closed to aircraft operations. Under the BLM and NPS management plan for the Arizona Strip and Parashant National Monument, only a small number of designated strips are authorized, and Pakoon Springs was not among them. The strip's coordinates place it on the Desert Tortoise sensitive habitat list, which was a primary factor in restricting aviation access. The remote location, high density of protected wildlife, and rehabilitation efforts at the springs make any unauthorized landing inadvisable and likely illegal. Pilots should verify current authorizations through the BLM or NPS before planning any flight into the area.

History
Pakoon Springs has a colorful and layered past. The springs were owned by the Whitney family in the early 1900s, and over the decades several owners — including Native Americans, homesteaders, and ranchers — laid claim to the area. Starting in the 1960s, a self-described "weekend cowboy" named Charles "Chuck" Simmons owned the Pakoon area, keeping pigs and burros there and attempting to cash in on the 1980s ostrich craze by raising roughly 500 birds — a venture that eventually collapsed when demand for ostrich meat cratered. His most infamous addition was Clem, an eight-foot alligator imported from Georgia as a gift from friends, who took up residence in the main pond and became a local legend — once nearly mistaken for a log, reportedly lured out with whole chickens, and eventually discovered alive by BLM workers in 2003. The BLM acquired the 240-acre parcel in 2002, and since then, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument has undertaken a comprehensive rehabilitation project to restore the springs to their natural habitat, recognizing them as a critical desert water source whose disruption could have severe ecological consequences.