A shooting range plagued by delays finally opened yesterday.  

First slated for a March 2022 opening, Box Canyon Shooting Range suffered when felt like endless obstacles. 

Rain flooded the land last fall. In February, a wet winter and supply-chain issues stymied the Bureau of Land Management from setting a new opening date. Fire restrictions that began in June thwarted efforts to open early this summer. 

But Box Canyon opened to the public yesterday, according to Chris Wonderly, a spokesperson for the BLM. 

Amenities at the range include 50-, 100-, 200- and 300-yard shooting lanes with fixed steel targets, sporting clay and skeet shooting, and shooting platforms. 

According to the BLM website, more shooting bays are planned for the site’s future. The range also has vault toilets and trash receptacles. 

Rifles and handguns are restricted to ammunition that is .50 caliber or less, according to the BLM. Common shotgun ammo like birdshot, buckshot and slugs are allowed.  

The operating hours of the range will change throughout the year.  

  • Jan. 28-April 21: Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
  • April 22-Aug. 26: Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
  • Aug. 27-Oct. 7: Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
  • Oct. 8-Jan. 27: Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

BLM noted the site will be closed the second and fourth Wednesday monthly for maintenance and cleaning. 

Brian Petersheim Jr., Reporter
Brian Petersheim Jr., Reporter
Brian became part of the InMaricopa team in October 2020, starting as a multimedia intern with a focus on various multimedia tasks. His responsibilities included file organization and capturing photos of events and incidents. After graduating from Maricopa High School in the class of 2021, his internship seamlessly transitioned into a full-fledged job. Initially serving as a dedicated photographer, Brian's role evolved in October 2021 when he took on a new beat as a writer. He is currently pursuing his studies at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Brian's primary focus lies in covering public safety-related stories. In his free time, Brian finds joy in spending quality time with his family and embarking on adventures to explore the landscapes around him.
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2 COMMENTS

  1. The people managing this range are so inconsistent and unreliable they have to be political appointees. I’ve driven the 43 miles there on four occasions when the range was supposed to be open and it wasn’t, burning close to $90 worth of gasoline for nothing.

    • Just another reminder to us all. EVERYTHING the Government gets it’s hands on gets screwed up. I had some hopes for this one, I really did. Maybe we can turn it around and make it better?