Southwest Utah, the Arizona Strip and southeast Nevada
Where a mile actually goes
A mile is not a longer version of a 300 yard problem. You need 1,609 m of unobstructed ground you can legally send a round across, a mountain behind the target big enough to catch everything that misses, one agency's land under the whole thing, and a way to get there carrying the rifle. Ten thousand nine hundred and forty-three points on public land were generated from road geometry and elevation data, filtered down to seventeen candidates that could hold a mile, and then checked properly. Five survived. One is clearly the answer.
Sheep Pens Road, about 20 km northwest of Bunkerville.
It wins on all four things at once, which nothing else does. The walk from the road is 230 m at 5.8 percent. The mountain behind the target still rises 578 m above you on the worst of five bearings, so the fan is caught, not just the centre line. Nothing in the mile comes closer than 17.2 m to your sight line, standing or prone, which is the difference between seeing steel and guessing where it is. And all 39 land-status points came back BLM. The cost is that it is in Nevada, 61 km from Ivins, and Nevada's shooting rules are not Utah's — check the county before you drive out.
Firing point
36.90518, -114.28843
Bearing
280° true
Walk in
230 m at 5.8 percent
Backstop
+578 m, worst bearing
1
Sheep Pens Road, Toquop Easy access
36.90518, -114.28843 · NV · 932 m elevation · 20.5 km NW of Bunkerville NV
230m walk in
61km from Ivins
Best mile line found, and it is not close. You park on Sheep Pens Road and walk 230 m at an average of 5.8 percent with a steepest step of 25 percent, gaining 11 m. That is a stroll on a desert bench, not an approach. The mile target sits 190 m above the firing point, which is what buys the backstop: the ground keeps climbing past the target to +622 m on the centre bearing and never drops below +578 m anywhere in the 40-degree fan, so a wide miss is still caught by the same mountain. Nothing between you and the target ever comes closer than 17.2 m to your sight line, standing or prone, the widest margin of any candidate, so you can actually see steel at 1,609 m instead of guessing at a skyline. Every one of the 39 land-status points queried came back BLM. The catch is geography: this is Nevada, about 20 km northwest of Bunkerville and 61 km from Ivins, and Nevada's rules are not Utah's.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
260
+644 m
2,980 m
440 m
-10
270
+665 m
2,640 m
440 m
+0
280
+622 m
2,600 m
420 m
+10
290
+578 m
2,720 m
440 m
+20
300
+646 m
2,740 m
420 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
280°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
36.90769, -114.30626
Uphill to the target
+189.9 m over the mile, about 11.8 percent
Crest in the way
+140 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
17.2 m clear at its tightest, 100 m out
Sight line, prone
15.9 m at 100 m
Backstop past the target
+578.3 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing or prone.
Land and clearance
Mormon Mountains
Wilderness
2,501 m
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. Every one came back BLM.
Getting there
You reach the parking spot on a named, mapped road. No unmapped two-track in the last leg.
Park at 36.90688, -114.28991 on Sheep Pens Road, graded dirt.
230 mdistance on footno vehicle past here
5.8%average gradesteepest step 25.2%
+10.6 mnet elevation12.0 m of climb out
Short and gentle. Anyone can do this one.
Walk grade measured from 3DEP at 5 m spacing along the actual walk-in, not estimated from endpoints.
36.98122, -113.33255 · AZ · 970 m elevation · 21.4 km WSW of Apple Valley
2,571m walk in
37km from Ivins
The closest legitimate mile to St George, and the only one in the group you reach on a named road the whole way. Drive Honeymoon Trail, park, and the 2,571 m walk in is the price. It is a gentle price by the numbers, 6.3 percent average and 36 m of climb, but it runs downhill on the way out, so the 89 m you drop is 89 m you climb back carrying a rifle, a bag and whatever water you brought. Terrain is genuinely good: +458 m of backstop at 2,620 m on the centre bearing, +414 m on the worst ray, and all BLM at every point of the ring and the line. The weakness is a low rise 400 m out, not the crest. It comes within 2.1 m of your sight line standing and 1.1 m prone, so the bipod has to go on something and a short target at the mile disappears behind it. Walk the first 400 m before you set up.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
110
+434 m
2,340 m
200 m
-10
120
+414 m
3,300 m
220 m
+0
130
+458 m
2,620 m
260 m
+10
140
+478 m
2,480 m
260 m
+20
150
+493 m
2,680 m
260 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
130°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
36.97192, -113.31868
Uphill to the target
+137 m over the mile, about 8.5 percent
Crest in the way
+84 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
2.1 m clear at its tightest, 400 m out
Sight line, prone
1.1 m at 400 m
Backstop past the target
+413.7 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing. Prone, the ground at 400 m is almost on your line — get the barrel up.
Land and clearance
Nothing designated within roughly 2 km of the corridor in either direction.
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. Every one came back BLM.
Getting there
You reach the parking spot on a named, mapped road. No unmapped two-track in the last leg.
Park at 36.99580, -113.31009 on Honeymoon Trail (3), graded dirt.
2,571 mdistance on footno vehicle past here
6.3%average gradesteepest step 66.8%
-89 mnet elevation35.9 m of climb out, and 124.9 m to climb on the way back
Long but gentle. A load-carry, not a climb.
Walk grade measured from 3DEP at 5 m spacing along the actual walk-in, not estimated from endpoints.
36.87427, -114.32810 · NV · 987 m elevation · 21.1 km WNW of Bunkerville NV
2,180m walk in
66km from Ivins
The second Nevada option and a clear step down from the first. 348 m of unpaved two-track off the named road, then a 2,180 m walk that climbs 146 m with a step near 150 percent somewhere in it. Land is clean, the centre-ray backstop is a solid +598 m, but the +20-degree ray falls to +307 m and does not catch a low round until 940 m, which is the loosest fan in the group. Take it only if Sheep Pens Road is occupied.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
350
+429 m
2,320 m
280 m
-10
000
+461 m
2,380 m
320 m
+0
010
+598 m
2,360 m
380 m
+10
020
+437 m
2,380 m
460 m
+20
030
+307 m
2,560 m
940 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
010°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
36.88852, -114.32496
Uphill to the target
+160.5 m over the mile, about 10.0 percent
Crest in the way
+145 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
5.2 m clear at its tightest, 1,500 m out
Sight line, prone
5.2 m at 1,500 m
Backstop past the target
+307.1 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing or prone.
Land and clearance
Mormon Mountains
Wilderness
2,513 m
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. Every one came back BLM.
Getting there
348 m of unmaintained track before you park. Pavement ends at 36.86252, -114.30369.
348 m(unnamed unclassified)unclassified · unpaved
Park at 36.86452, -114.30683 on (unnamed unclassified), graded dirt.
2,180 mdistance on footno vehicle past here
7.6%average gradesteepest step 150.0%
+125.6 mnet elevation146.1 m of climb out
Long but gentle. A load-carry, not a climb.
Walk grade measured from 3DEP at 5 m spacing along the actual walk-in, not estimated from endpoints.
37.15251, -113.94344 · UT · 1296 m elevation · 20.1 km S of Motoqua
1,051m walk in
23km from Ivins
Good ground behind a genuinely bad road. The shot line is clean BLM with a +583 m backstop and the walk is only 1,051 m mostly downhill, but OpenStreetMap routes it 13.6 km off the nearest named road, including 6.9 km of grade-5 track and 6 km of Hell Hole Pass Trail. That is a high-clearance, low-range, go-with-a-second-vehicle drive. Note also that state trust land begins 400 m north and northeast of the firing point; the shot itself goes southeast, away from it, but there is no room to swing left.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
100
+313 m
3,060 m
160 m
-10
110
+350 m
2,420 m
160 m
+0
120
+584 m
2,720 m
160 m
+10
130
+508 m
3,400 m
160 m
+20
140
+457 m
3,340 m
180 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
120°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
37.14527, -113.92772
Uphill to the target
+124.2 m over the mile, about 7.7 percent
Crest in the way
+111 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
3.5 m clear at its tightest, 100 m out
Sight line, prone
2.2 m at 100 m
Backstop past the target
+313.3 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing. Prone, the ground at 100 m is almost on your line — get the barrel up.
Land and clearance
Beaver Dam Wash
Conservation area
2,782 m
Beaver Dam Wash - Designated Road Area
Conservation area
3,466 m
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. 5 of them are not BLM.
Not BLM: ring 000 1000m (ST), ring 000 400m (ST), ring 045 1000m (ST), ring 045 400m (ST), ring 315 400m (ST)
Getting there
13,573 m of unmaintained track before you park. Pavement ends at 37.11143, -113.82201.
6,883 m(unnamed track)track · compacted · grade5
6,052 mHell Hole Pass Trailtrack
437 m(unnamed track)track
201 m(unnamed unclassified)unclassified · unpaved
Park at 37.14984, -113.93208 on (unnamed unclassified), graded dirt.
1,051 mdistance on footno vehicle past here
7.6%average gradesteepest step 62.7%
-56.8 mnet elevation11.6 m of climb out, and 68.4 m to climb on the way back
Long but gentle. A load-carry, not a climb.
Walk grade measured from 3DEP at 5 m spacing along the actual walk-in, not estimated from endpoints.
37.32131, -113.86768 · UT · 1470 m elevation · 3.0 km ESE of Motoqua
2,385m walk in
24km from Ivins
Three kilometres from Motoqua and no protected ground within 2 km of the corridor, which is rare. It dies on the approach: 6.7 km of unnamed two-track, then a 2,385 m walk that climbs 249 m at 14.6 percent average with a 124 percent step. That is a mountain hike with gear before you have fired a shot.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
310
+290 m
2,940 m
280 m
-10
320
+513 m
3,260 m
340 m
+0
330
+640 m
2,600 m
360 m
+10
340
+623 m
2,920 m
180 m
+20
350
+460 m
3,400 m
160 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
330°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
37.33385, -113.87678
Uphill to the target
+149.6 m over the mile, about 9.3 percent
Crest in the way
+131 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
9.2 m clear at its tightest, 1,500 m out
Sight line, prone
9.1 m at 1,500 m
Backstop past the target
+290.2 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing or prone.
Land and clearance
Nothing designated within roughly 2 km of the corridor in either direction.
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. 2 of them are not BLM.
Not BLM: ring 180 1000m (ST), ring 225 1000m (ST)
Getting there
6,748 m of unmaintained track before you park. Pavement ends at 37.26810, -113.88528.
Twelve of the seventeen died. Eleven of them died on the same test: the shot line, extended to 3.4 km and swung 10 degrees each way, either entered designated wilderness or a conservation area, or passed within 400 m of one. A 900 m corridor check passes most of these. The distance a mile shot can actually travel does not stop at 900 m.
Firing point
Bearing
What it ran into
37.10583, -113.91790UT
030
Beaver Dam Wash conservation area 244 m off the line
37.01149, -113.85135UT
020
Beaver Dam Wash - Designated Road Area conservation area on the line; Beaver Dam Wash conservation area 29 m off the line
36.95866, -113.77630AZ
190
Paiute (North) wilderness on the line; Beaver Dam (North) wilderness 327 m off the line
36.98935, -113.88850AZ
080
Beaver Dam (North) wilderness 7 m off the line
36.91623, -113.83209AZ
160
Paiute (North) wilderness on the line
36.92603, -113.87680AZ
080
Beaver Dam (South) wilderness on the line
36.70861, -113.98489AZ
120
Grand Canyon-Parashant conservation area on the line
36.67255, -114.01923AZ
100
Grand Canyon-Parashant conservation area on the line
36.94637, -114.35450NV
290
Mormon Mountains wilderness on the line
36.67427, -114.07011NV
210
Gold Butte conservation area on the line
36.62421, -114.11701NV
120
Gold Butte conservation area on the line
37.12599, -113.85744UT
340
Clear of protected ground, but the shot line leaves BLM and crosses Utah state trust land at 800 m, 1,200 m and the mile
×
Utah Hill Cut
37.12599, -113.85744 · UT · 1732 m elevation · 16.3 km WSW of Ivins
3,740m walk in
16km from Ivins
Cut. The shot line leaves BLM and crosses Utah state trust land at 800 m, 1,200 m and again at the mile. Different agency, different rules, and not something to assume your way through. The approach would have killed it anyway: 3,740 m on foot climbing 632 m at 25 percent average.
The mile line, and what is behind it
Offset
Bearing
Max rise past the mile
At
Ground catches a low round
-20
320
+342 m
3,060 m
280 m
-10
330
+426 m
3,400 m
480 m
+0
340
+474 m
2,740 m
460 m
+10
350
+381 m
3,000 m
1,420 m
+20
000
+191 m
3,220 m
2,100 m
USGS 3DEP at 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five rays across a 40° fan. Red dot is you, the dashed line runs from your eye at 1.7 m to a 1 m target at 1,609 m.
Point it this way
340°true bearing
The shot itself
Target at 1,609 m
37.13959, -113.86365
Uphill to the target
+112.3 m over the mile, about 7.0 percent
Crest in the way
+98 m at 1,500 m
Sight line, standing
7.6 m clear at its tightest, 1,500 m out
Sight line, prone
7.5 m at 1,500 m
Backstop past the target
+190.9 m worst of five bearings
Clear standing or prone.
Land and clearance
Beaver Dam Wash - Designated Road Area
Conservation area
4,086 m
Beaver Dam Wash
Conservation area
5,237 m
Closest approach of the shot line out to 3.4 km, measured to the polygon edge rather than to a vertex. Surface management queried at 39 separate points: the firing point, a 400 m and 1 km ring on eight bearings, the parking spot, and the shot line itself at seven distances on three bearings. 7 of them are not BLM.
Not BLM: line 1200m off+0 (ST), line 1200m off-10 (ST), line 1609m off-10 (ST), line 800m off-10 (ST), ring 270 1000m (ST), ring 270 400m (ST), ring 315 1000m (ST)
Getting there
You reach the parking spot on a named, mapped road. No unmapped two-track in the last leg.
Park at 37.10020, -113.83037 on Old Dixie Highway 91, paved.
3,740 mdistance on footno vehicle past here
25.4%average gradesteepest step 167.2%
+312.9 mnet elevation631.9 m of climb out, and 319.1 m to climb on the way back
A scramble carrying a rifle. Think hard about it.
Walk grade measured from 3DEP at 5 m spacing along the actual walk-in, not estimated from endpoints.
Terrain. USGS 3DEP, 10 m resolution, sampled every 20 m out to 3.4 km on five bearings spanning a 40° fan. Line of sight is computed twice, from a 1.7 m standing eye and from a 0.35 m prone eye, to a 1 m target, and reported as the tightest clearance anywhere between 100 m and 1,509 m — so the number is about whatever can actually block you, which is not always the crest.
Land status. BLM's national Surface Management Agency layer, queried point by point — 39 points per candidate. A spot is only listed if the firing point, the parking spot and the shot line are all BLM, and every non-BLM point found anywhere in the ring is printed above rather than hidden.
Protected ground. BLM NLCS wilderness, national conservation areas and wilderness study areas. Distance is measured from every corridor sample to the nearest polygon edge, not to the nearest mapped vertex, which is how three spots that looked clean turned out not to be.
Roads and walking. OpenStreetMap for routing and surface tags, 3DEP at 5 m spacing for the walk-in grade.
What this does not cover. It does not check current fire restrictions, it does not check county or municipal ordinance, and it does not know about a closure gate that went up last month, a grazing permittee's cattle, or a family camped over the rise. OpenStreetMap road surface tags in this country are frequently wrong or missing. You still have to look downrange with your own eyes before you fire, and you are still responsible for every round.
Generated 14 September 2026 · derived from public USGS, BLM and OpenStreetMap data.