LOCATION: 10 miles west of Grand Junction ACREAGE: 75,550 (5,200 acres in Utah) SEASON: May - Oct Biting gnats may be prevalent from late May - late July. Summer day time temperatures commonly exceed 90° (100° in the canyons). Hats, sunscreen, bug repellant and 1 gallon of water per person, per day is highly recommended. FACILITIES: No facilities available at the Rattlesnake Arches, Devils Canyon, Knowles Canyon or Jones Canyon trailheads. Wheelchair accessible restroom at the Pollock Bench trailhead. CAMPING: Boaters camping overnight are required to have portable toilets and firepans or stoves for cooking. Backpackers are encouraged to use stoves while back country camping, and to use preexisting campsites and not create any new disturbances. NOTE: Overnight camping is prohibited in and around the arches, along the cherry stem road (last 1.5 miles of the motorized access road), and the parking area at the trailhead. Use of firepans and/or stoves may be prohibited during high fire danger periods. DRINKING/STREAM WATER: No fresh drinking water available. Streams within the wilderness are sparse and typically only have water in them for short periods of time in the spring and fall. Plan to pack in at least 1 gallon per person, per day. ACCESS TO THE BLACK RIDGE CANYONS WILDERNESS: The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness can be accessed by hiking or horseback riding on one of the many trails located at different points around the perimeter of the wilderness boundaries, or by floating the Colorado River. Devils, Flume, Pollock Bench and Rattlesnake Canyon trails are located along the northeast perimeter, and Rattlesnake Arches, Mee, Knowles and Jones Canyon trails are on the south side of the wilderness. Directions to each of these trails and river access are listed below.
DIRECTIONS TO DEVILS, FLUME, POLLOCK BENCH, AND RATTLESNAKE CANYON TRAILS: From Grand Junction, take I-70 west to the Fruita exit, turn left and cross back over I-70 and go 1.5 miles to the Kings View Estates subdivision. Turn right, in to the subdivision and stay on the main road. It's approximately .5 miles to the Devils Canyon trail turnoff, on your left - look for the yellow gate. Continuing down the main road a little farther, approximately 1.5 miles, will bring you to the Pollock Bench, Flume and Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead. DIRECTIONS TO KNOWLES AND JONES CANYON TRAILS: From Grand Junction, travel west on Grand Avenue, cross over two bridges, at the next stop light turn left on to Monument Road, turn left at "D" Road. Follow D road until you come to a fork in the road, go left on to Little Park Road. Follow Little Park Road until it meets up with DS Road, take a left on to DS Road to the Glade Park Store. At the Glade Park Store take a right on to 16.5 Road go .5 miles to BS Road, turn left, it's another 12 miles to the Knowles Canyon trailhead. Continuing on BS Road another 2.5 miles you will come to a locked gate at the end of the public road, this is the trailhead into Jones Canyon. DIRECTIONS TO RATTLESNAKE ARCHES AND MEE CANYON TRAILS: There are two roads that parallel the southern boundary that are seasonally opened to motorized travel. These roads provide access to Rattlesnake Canyon/Arches and Mee Canyon trailheads. The Upper Road is open from April 15 - August 15, with the Lower Road being open from August 15 - February 15. Both roads are closed to motorized travel from February 15 - April 15. Biking, hiking and horseback are allowed on both access roads throughout the year. CAUTION: A high clearance 4X4 vehicle is required for the last 1.5 miles. Do not drive on either road when wet. From Grand Junction, take I-70 west to the Fruita Exit (#15) turn left at off ramp and cross back over I-70, follow signs to Colorado National Monument (CNM). Enter the CNM. Travel 11 miles from CNM entrance station, turn right at sign for "Glade Park Store". Travel .2 miles to Black Ridge Access Roads (Upper and Lower). At this point you are adjacent to the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. The Rattlesnake Arches trailhead is approximately 13 miles ahead. NOTE: There is no charge for traveling through the Colorado National Monument to access the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. Inform the attendant at the entrance gate that your destination is the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness and you will be permitted to pass through the monument at no cost. COLORADO RIVER ACCESS: The most spectacular access into the canyon mouths is by floating the Colorado River from the Loma boat launch. Rattlesnake Canyon has a hidden mouth 3.3 miles below the Loma put-in. Mee and Knowles Canyons are the two longest canyon systems and their river entrances are popular campsites for the river trips and hiking. Private land blocks river access to Jones Canyon in Utah. The Loma boat launch is reached via I-70 west of Grand Junction to the Loma exit. Go south on the overpass and follow the signs to the launch. ATTRACTIONS: Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness on the northwest flank of the Uncompahgre Plateau is characterized by the high, east-west trending Black Ridge dissected by seven major red rock canyon systems, draining into the Colorado River. Canyons vary in length from several miles to twelve miles in length and may contain interesting side canyons. Geological features in these canyons include spires, windows, giant alcoves and desert patina. Canyons may reach a depth of almost 1,000 feet, forming spectacular redrock cliffs. Spring runoff and summer thunderstorms create glistening waterfalls and plunge pools. The area contains the second largest concentration of natural arches in the country. Vegetation in the meandering canyon bottoms include pinyon-juniper, grasses, and cottonwoods, willow and box elder. The upland mesas contain a dense stands of pinyon-juniper with some sagebrush parks. Cryptobiotic soils are well developed in the upland area. Wildlife viewing may include deer, mountain lion, desert bighorn sheep, along with golden and bald eagles. |
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