A new metal bridge provides pedestrian access to Dominguez Canyon Wilderness from the Bridgeport Road south of Grand Junction. Find your next adventure Congressionally designated in 2009 for its distinctive canyon country, the Dominquez-Escalante National Conservation Area includes the remote Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, recreation along the Gunnison River, and a network of off-highway vehicle trails. This loop trek, ranging between 35 and 50 miles (depending on how much side-exploring you do), is for experienced backpackers with route-finding skills. Dominguez Outfitters is based in Whitewater, CO. We hunt in Colorado Game Management Units (GMU) 61 and 62. Email him at gulliford_a@fortlewis.edu. Cultural resources such as petroglyphs and wickiups attest to the thousands of years that Native Americans used the area for hunting, shelter and as a travel corridor from the Gunnison River Valley to the Uncompahgre Plateau. Due to last minute changes, my normal hunting partner, Rita, was unable to go. Photo: camping near Naturita, Norwood, Nucla and Gateway. Red-rock canyons and sandstone bluffs hold geological and paleontological resources spanning 600 million years, as well as many cultural and historic sites. Yet the visible cliffs are 300 million-year-old Chinle sandstone.. The BLM recommends you let someone know your plans before visiting and to bring along plenty of water due to limited water availability. 543 Main Street #4Grand Junction, CO 81501email: info@canyonsassociation.orgphone: 970-263-7902, Learn more about Hiking in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, Click for a Guide to Recreation in Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. Elk Hunting Maps tab on the website. Campsites are first come, first serve. View the alert: Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum closed for renovations through mid-May. Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. You must obtain a free, self-issued permit if you are taking an overnight trip. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Dominguez Outfitters and our team have been providing packing and guiding services since 2009 on public lands. But of all the prehistory, history and tales told in the canyons, I am most interested in a specific petroglyph. Leave artifacts as you find them. I will be hunting the Weminuche Wilderness Area in the fall of 2018 and I am seeking advice in regards to hunting pressure/outfitter presence in the wilderness area. Introduced desert bighorns routinely travel between Escalante and Dominguez canyons. It joins the larger Big Dominguez Canyon a little over a mile before their confluence with the Gunnison River. Restrooms and picnic tables are available for day-use recreation as well. The Old Spanish National Historic Trail is composed of three main routes: the Main Route, the Armijo Route, and the North Branch. HUNTING IN WYOMING Hunt Planner / Elk Hunting / Elk Area 13 Elk Area 13 Licensing Information AVAILABLE LICENSES SPECIAL ARCHERY SEASON APPLICATION DATES & DEADLINES LICENSE PRICES RESIDENT DRAWING ODDS NONRESIDENT DRAWING ODDS Apply For License! Grand Junction Field Office & Uncompahgre Field Office, Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution, Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. Rare plants and animals with prickly pear cactus and Indian rice grass grow within feet of narrow-leaf Fremont cottonwood trees. Hunting Grounds: West of Hwy 50 and east of the Gunnison River this area is rich in cultural heritage resources and a popular location for dispersed recreation. This national resource is known for its . Water runs through Little Dominguez Creek year-round, creating a great habitat for many birds, mammals, and reptiles. A 15-mile county road offers visitors a trip back to pioneer days through Escalante Canyons Red Hole in Time (popularized by local author Muriel Marshall. Permits and instructions can be found on-site at the Escalante and Bridgeport boat launch. CO. Access the east side of Dominguez-Escalante NCA via Bridgeport Bridge: from Grand Junction, travel south on US-50, past Whitewater and Bridgeport Road. For more information on hunting seasons, how to get your hunting license, and more, please visit the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website. Also, its a good idea to use a canister to protect your food from black bears. The Dominguez Canyon Wilderness displays an array of ecosystems, ranging from upper Sonoran pion-juniper desert along the Gunnison River, to Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine to aspen at higher elevations. The feature service is full-featured and is available at world-room scales. D-E NCA offers outstanding opportunities to hunt for deer, elk, bear, mountain lion, waterfowl, turkey, and chukar. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS D-E NCA provides a host of mountain biking and OHV riding on existing roads and trails. Elevations in the NCA are approximately 4,800 to 8,200 feet. Peregrine falcons have nested nearby. Details Address: Grand Junction, CO Phone: 970-240-5300 Season: Year round Website: blm.gov/visit/dominguez-canyon-wilderness Join our Colorado travel community Opportunity exists for BLM to link into this system. It provides shelter during summer rainstorms. A few tried and tasty establishments that dont disappoint are Fiesta Vallarta, the areas best Mexican restaurant; Davetos for Italian cuisine, pizza, and a superb smothered green chili burrito; and Needle Rock Brewing Company for burgers and cold beers. This 30-mile loop begins at a trailhead near the mouth of Escalante Canyon and then follows McCarty Trail for a dozen miles to old jeep roads across Camp Ridge. Extreme Long Range Hunting & Shooting (ELR). by Eric Jensen. Dominguez Creek has some of the oldest rocks in the world from the Uncompahgre schist at 1.4 billion to 1.8 billion years old. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Nearly 30 miles of the Gunnison River flow through Dominguez-Escalante NCA, supporting fish, wildlife and recreational resources. Wooley Built This House March the 18, 1901.. Thank you for visiting deltacountycolorado.com! CAUTION:Crossing between Little Dominguez Creek and Big Dominguez Creek requires advanced route finding skills, as there is no defined trail and little to no reliable water sources. Multiple access points. The scenic canyon also boasts day hikes and historic sites like the old Captain Smith Cabin, which was built in 1911 by a Civil War veteran. Our family has been outfitting in the Bob Marshall Wilderness since 1976. Elk and White Tail. It took a special kind of woman to make an Escalante Canyon ranchers wife, Marshall wrote. Access the south side: from Delta, travel west on Highway 348 and turn right onto 25 Mesa Road/D Road. The area also provides excellent heritage tourism opportunities, and the rugged canyons and bluffs here hold geological and paleontological resources spanning 1.4 billion years. They put their kids in school so they wouldnt have that life. The Gunnison River angles along the eastern edge of sprawling Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, a vast 210,172-acre swathe of protected land that includes the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness and Red Rock - Secret Mountain . This National Conservation Area includes the 66,280 acre Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. Terms of Use We are 15 miles from the nearest trailhead, a three-hour drive beyond that from the nearest stoplight, and two days' drive beyond that from home. Ballantine Communications, Inc. The McCarty Trail is a landscape feature named after the McCarty family whose brothers rode with Butch Cassidy to rob the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride in 1889. This wilderness, which is characterized by diverse ecosystems, features two major canyon systems which drain the northeastern corner of the Uncompahgre Plateau. The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area 2) National Conservation Area located in western Colorado southeast of Grand Junction and northwest of Montrose. Grand Junction Field Office & Uncompahgre Field Office It could be SN 1054, a supernova which exploded in the year 1054 and is astronomys most famous supernova. The Old Spanish Trail passes through the eastern part of the NCA. It now provides private ranch access. The Escalante, Cottonwood, Little Dominguez and Big Dominguez Creeks cascade through sandstone canyon walls that drain the eastern Uncompahgre Plateau. Ah, look, it's a dam on Dominguez creek used to fill the orchard irrigation ditch. A public wilderness feature service can be added in ArcGIS online or to other online maps. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in sun canyon and . There is evidence all through Dominguez Canyon wilderness of thousands of years of use for hunting, fishing and as a travel corridor connecting the Gunnison River Valley with the upper Uncompahgre plateau. This scenic wonderland was declared a national wilderness site in 2009 and consists of 66,280 acres of land that is ripe for exploration. As the snow piles up, I think of warm desert hikes. Hes gone now, and the peace and quiet that he cherished endures for all of us. Campsites are marked and available along the river. Traditional uses such as livestock grazing, hunting and fishing are important uses in the NCA and are specifically protected by the designating legislation and Resource Management Plan. JavaScript is disabled. . Privacy Policy, Weather data from The Durango Herald and WeatherKit.org, History, geology tell old tales in these Colorado desert canyons. If you are lucky enough to draw one of the 4-5 desert bighorn sheep tags issued each year, youre in for an amazing experience! For a cash-poor settler, it was a home. We typically hunt elk and deer, but we also offer opportunities to pursue other animals such as bears and desert bighorn sheep. South end of Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, near Montrose, CO. Photo by: camping near Naturita, Norwood, Nucla and Gateway, Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, blm.gov/visit/dominguez-canyon-wilderness. Big Dominguez Canyon Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. Vegetation varies from pinon-juniper woodlands near the Gunnison River to Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and aspens in the higher reaches. Official websites use .gov The Gunnison River itself is not part of the wilderness but does act as a boundary. Its a pity that Franciscan friars Father Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre de Escalante never got to visit their namesake canyons, but plenty of Native Americans, prospectors, ranchers, railroaders and outlaws certainly have. Elevations in the NCA are approximately 4,800 to 8,200 feet. After a few days of tramping through the ruddy canyons, youll be ready to ease back into civilization with a filling meal. Arches and Canyonlands 4X4 Adventure from Moab 55 Recommended Full-day Tours from $324.37 per adult Canyonlands & Arches National Parks Airplane Tour 52 Recommended Air Tours from $329.00 per adult LIKELY TO SELL OUT* Moab Rappeling Adventure: Medieval Chamber Slot Canyon 38 Recommended from $110.00 per adult SPECIAL OFFER From 1829 to 1848, this trail was the shortest-known route from Santa Fe to Los Angeles, through red-rock mesas, below snow-capped peaks, and fording untamed rivers, following a loose network of Native American footpaths across the Colorado Plateau and Mojave Desert. Some of that rock art is up to 2,000 years old and is fading in places due to the ravages if time and weather. Where the schist has been carved by millions of years of water runoff from the Uncompahgre Plateau to the west, there are pour-offs and pools as smooth as a newborns bottom. Red-rock canyons and sandstone bluffs hold geological and paleontological resources spanning 600 million years, as well as many cultural and historic sites. Unaweep Canyon on the northern boundary of the NCA contains globally significant geological resources. Please click the link to the CPW for current Hunting Seasons, draw deadlines, and pricing of licenses. Geology, botany, natural history all abound in Dominguez Canyon, named in 1874 by the Hayden Expedition as it mapped Colorados Western Slope. Established in 2009, the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness contains 66,000 acres and is part of the larger Dominguez-Escalante Conservation Area. A ruby gem at the bottom of the world.. The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Areas is rough and rugged country, so backpackers need to be experienced in off-trail travel. One panel with an exploding star may depict the famed supernova of AD 1054. You will encounter picturesque views, fascinating historical artifacts, as well as unique plants and geologic features. Pocket - Sliker Hill - Dutton Hill: This area is located in the northwest quarter of the unit and can be accessed by FR 231 (Woody Mountain Road) from Flagstaff. Nearly 30 miles of the river flow through the NCA. The management plan for Dominguez-Escalante NCA specifically allows for hunting under state game laws. Plan your trek in spring and fall when the weather is generally pleasant, since summers are too hot. A ruby gem at the bottom of the world. Ranchers tried to make a living but the country was hard on horses and even harder on wives. Escalante Canyon: Escalante Canyon includes the Potholes Recreation Area, popular with extreme kayakers in the spring and picnickers in the summer. The wilderness was designated by Congress in 2009 and is made up of most of what was previously the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Study Area. Four years later, Tom McCarty robbed the Delta Bank only to be shot by a hardware store owner with a buffalo gun so powerful that it lifted the robber out of his saddle, dead before he hit the ground. Funds for Delta County Social Media and PR provided from a Marketing Matching Grant from the Colorado Tourism Office. The Uncompahgre band, Weminuche band and Grand River band of Utes may all have traversed this canyon at different times of year. Then theres the famous canyon shootout of June 9, 1917, when Ben Lowe, who often brought destitute homesteader families sides of beef not his own, faced off with former Sheriff Cash Sampson, who had been a state stock and brand inspector. Traces of the early miners and settlers who lived and worked there are also evident. Unit 52 includes the Cruces Basin Wilderness area and boarders Colorado to the North. Scenic auto touring, bouldering and multi pitch climbing occur along East Creek. Walk 2.5 miles to the junction of the two canyons, turn right, and then walk about another 1.5 miles to reach a gorgeous waterfall. Ed Hake. Please check the current streamflow data and weather before your boat trip. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. As you ride, please respect the landscape making sure you stay only on designated trails, yield to other visitors, and follow all other principles of Leave No Trace (LNT). Completely unfitted em for cattle ranching.. Please call 970-882-5600 for assistance. We look forward to your visit; here's hoping that you are inspired to linger a little while longer with us. There is also plenty of solitude and a raw silence that keeps the sounds of civilization far away. Unit 61 has a very limited number of licenses and requires preference points to draw. Little Dominguez is the longer of the two at approximately 12 miles in length. Collared lizards enact marvelous mating dances. 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