National Designated Lands

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison's unique and spectacular landscape was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard Proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. To learn more visit the National Park Service.

Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area

The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area encompasses 209,610 acres of BLM-managed land in Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties in western Colorado. Within the NCA, 66,280 acres make up the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area, which was part of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Study Area. Long known for their scenic value, these lands are popular for those wanting to see the spectacular canyon country of the Uncompahgre Plateau. Red-rock canyons and sandstone bluffs hold geological and paleontological resources spanning 600 million years, as well as many cultural and historic sites. To learn more visit the Bureau of Land Management.

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are a combination of separate National Forests located on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies. These three combined Forests cover 3,161,912 acres of public land in the central and southern Rocky Mountains, an area that lies south of the Colorado River and west of the Continental Divide with some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rockies. To learn more visit the USDA Forest Service.

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and Wilderness

The Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) consists of 62,844 acres of BLM-managed lands. Initially 57,725 acres were designated in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-76). The Black Canyon of the Gunnison Boundary Revision Act of 2003 (PL 108-78) expanded the NCA to its current size. To learn more visit the Bureau of Land Management.

Adobe Badlands Proposed Wilderness Area

The Adobe Badlands are best known for their mazelike adobe formations of gray and yellow Mancos Shale interspersed with fascinating canyons, mesas, and arroyos. The rugged northern slopes are covered with pinyon-juniper woodlands. The badlands offer scenic vistas of Grand Mesa, the Uncompahgre Plateau, and the San Juan Mountains. A threatened cactus species, the Uinta Basin hookless cactus (Sclerocactus glaucus), exists within the area.

West Elk Wilderness

The West Elk Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located northwest of Gunnison, Colorado in the Gunnison National Forest. To learn more visit the USDA Forest Service.

Colorado Canyons Association

Colorado Canyons Association fosters community stewardship of our National Conservation System Lands with a focus on Dominguez-Escalante, Gunnison Gorge and McInnis Canyons National Conservation Areas in Western Colorado. We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization encouraging cooperation among all NCA users and interests. Colorado Canyons Association