Overview

The Grasslands Corral is made from used railroad ties, almost certainly from the Barnwell and Searchlight (B&S) Railroad that runs about 1.5 miles southeast of the corral. During the mining era, short rail lines were put in all over the desert to haul ore from mines to processing plants. When the mines played out, the routes were abandoned. The metal rails were removed for reuse elsewhere or to recycle. The ties, however, generally were abandoned. Enterprising desert residents pulled them up and used them for fences, corrals, and even railroad tie cabins. The Grasslands Corral is rather large (1.8 acres and 0.23 mile perimeter), probably only made possible when the nearby B&S Railroad line was abandoned in 1924.

The Grasslands Corral is located in the southwest portion of Avi Kwa Ami National Monument. From town, drive south to Walking Box Ranch Road. On Walking Box Ranch Road, drive south about 7.8 miles to the corral, which also serves as trailhead for the Grasslands Trail.

Link to corral map.