Tres Rios Field Office Annual Seasonal Closures

DURANGO AREA SEASONAL WILDLIFE CLOSURES  PDF MAP

Map showing Durango area seasonal wildlife closure areas.
Map showing Perins Peak, Animas City Mountain, and Grandview seasonal wildlife closures

The BLM, City of Durango, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife close trails to hikers, bicyclists, and others in the Durango area annually from December 1 through April 30 in order to protect wintering wildlife, with the possibility of opening April 15 if conditions allow.

Grandview Ridge

  • Big Canyon and Sale Barn trailheads (access located east of U.S. Highway 160)
  • South Rim trail, portions of Sidewinder and Cowboy trails on BLM lands accessed from Carbon Junction trail or Crites connect
  • Grandview BLM trails (access from Three Springs)

Animas City Mountain

  • BLM lands above the lower loops (approximately 1.5 miles above the 32ndstreet trailhead)

Twin Buttes Area

  • All upper trails as marked

Bodo State Wildlife Areas

  • Exceptions: the Smelter Mountain Trail is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., dogs are prohibited; small-game hunting is allowed in the area south of La Plata County Road 210.

Perins Peak

  • The area east of County Road 208 and west of Hogs back.
  • Note: this area is closed through July 31 to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

CORTEZ AREA SEASONAL WILDLIFE CLOSURES  PDF MAP

Map showing seasonal closure areas in Cortez SRMA in Tres Rios Field Office, CO.
Map showing seasonal closures in the Cortez SRMA of Tres Rios Field Office.

The BLM designated the Cortez Special Recreation Management Area in the 2015 Tres Rios Field Office RMP. The RMP identified the need for annual seasonal closures in the Chutes-n-Ladders, Summit, and Aqueduct areas within the Montezuma Triangle Recreation Management Zone of the Cortez SRMA. The BLM conducted additional site-specific analysis affirming the closures in the Tres Rios Field Office Transportation and Access Plan for Travel Area 1 (DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2018-0013-EA).

The area provides critical winter range for elk and mule deer and is identified for big game in the State of Colorado Wildlife Action Plan.

BLM lands open year-round in the Cortez area include Phil’s World, Mud Springs, and Sand Canyon.

The BLM posts closure signs at main entry points to the following areas under this closure order:

Summit Ridge
The parking lot and all public lands managed by the BLM are closed from December 1 through April 30 annually.

Aquaduct
Both parking lots and all public lands managed by the BLM are closed from December 1 through April 30 annually.

Chutes and Ladders
All public lands managed by the BLM are closed from December 1 through April 30 annually.
 

For more information, contact the BLM Tres Rios Field Office at 970-882-1120