Unit 261 encompasses the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the largest national wildlife refuge in the Lower 48, covering over 1.6 million acres northwest of Las Vegas. The terrain is basin-and-range at its most extreme — broad, flat desert valleys separated by steep, rocky mountain ranges. The Sheep Range, the dominant feature, rises from the desert floor at about 2,500 feet to over 9,900 feet on Hayford Peak. Lower elevations are harsh Mojave Desert — creosote bush, Joshua trees, yucca, and bare rock. Mid-elevations carry blackbrush and sagebrush, while the higher Sheep Range supports pinon-juniper, mountain mahogany, ponderosa pine (one of the most southerly stands in Nevada), and white fir at the summit. This unit is managed primarily for desert bighorn sheep, and the limited desert bighorn tags here are among the most prestigious in North America. The refuge is entirely federal land managed by USFWS, with additional military land (Nevada Test and Training Range) overlapping portions that are closed to all public access. Access is via the Corn Creek Field Station on US 95 and rough dirt roads that penetrate the eastern valleys. There is no developed infrastructure inside the refuge — no fuel, no water, no services. Las Vegas is the nearest full-service city, about 30 miles southeast. Cell service is limited to areas with line-of-sight to Las Vegas cell towers. Weather varies dramatically by elevation: triple-digit heat at the valley floor in early fall, with freezing temperatures and snow at the upper Sheep Range. Carry at minimum one gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for extreme temperature swings. Unit 261 encompasses the Desert National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Las Vegas — the largest national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 outside Alaska, covering 1.6 million acres of Mojave and Great Basin desert terrain managed primarily for desert bighorn sheep. The refuge spans multiple mountain ranges — the Sheep Range, the Las Vegas Range, and portions of the Desert Range — with elevations running from about 2,500 feet on the desert floor to 9,912 feet on Hayford Peak in the Sheep Range. The lower country is classic Mojave desert: creosote bush, Joshua trees, and sparse desert scrub on alluvial fans and valley floors. The mountains carry blackbrush, cliffrose, and scattered pinyon-juniper woodland, with ponderosa pine and white fir appearing at the highest elevations in unexpected island stands. Desert bighorn sheep are the primary game species and the entire reason the refuge exists — the Sheep Range supports one of the most important desert bighorn populations in North America. Access to the Desert NWR is restricted and regulated. Approximately 800,000 acres of the refuge overlap with the Nevada Test and Training Range (Nellis Air Force Base), and this portion is closed to all public access — permanently. The remaining accessible areas are open to foot traffic only; no vehicles are permitted beyond the designated roads and parking areas. Hunting is limited to specific refuge-managed hunts with tags allocated through Nevada's big game draw. Desert bighorn tags here are among the most coveted and difficult to draw in the entire West — most applicants will never draw in a lifetime of applying. If you draw, you are hunting one of the most pristine desert bighorn habitats in existence. The sheep live on the limestone cliffs and steep canyon walls, and hunting them requires physical fitness, climbing ability, and comfort on exposed terrain in desert heat. Las Vegas is 30 miles southeast with every service imaginable, creating the bizarre experience of staging a wilderness desert bighorn hunt from a casino hotel. Corn Creek Field Station on the refuge provides visitor information. Water is life-or-death critical in this environment — carry far more than you think you need and know the location of every spring on your hunt route. Temperatures in early fall can exceed 100 degrees on the desert floor and drop below freezing at the summit overnight.