Proposed Grand Hogback Wilderness Area
11,701 acres (18.3 square miles)
How to get there
Take
Highway 13 north of Rifle to mile marker 7. There is a parking area on
the right and a gate with a Boy Scout sign that marks the trailhead to
the Rifle Arch.
Setting
The Grand Hogback, a striking geologic feature, is a vast monocline bordering the White River Plateau and the Colorado River Valley. Measuring 70-miles-long, it is an S-shaped spine of Mesa Verde Formation sandstone flanked by steep, deeply incised ridges. The sandstone that comprises the Grand Hogback is approximately 6,000 feet thick and represents rapid and abundant sedimentation along a sandy coastline, where numerous marshes and swamps collected plant material that has since become coal. Sandstones of the Mesa Verde Group and Wasatch Formation comprise the up-thrust beds of the Grand Hogback.
The hogback extends from Meeker to Redstone, highly visible through its length, but it is most colorful and dramatic within the Grand Hogback proposed wilderness. Sandstones of the Mesa Verde Group and Wasatch Formation form the upthrust beds of Grand Hogback. The Wasatch Formation’s white sandstone is carved into badlands and fantastic teepee-shaped peaks.
A series of seven peaks crown the Grand Hogback's abrupt central ridgeline, ranging in elevation from the 9,196 foot Monument Peak to an unnamed 7,710-foot prominence in the southeastern portion. The lowest elevations hover around 6,000 feet along the southeastern border.
In the southwest, Rifle Arch, a thick span of Mesa Verde sandstone, frames a cliff face pocked by honeycomb weathering. To the left of the arch, fins of stones stand out from the base of the cliff, as if calving into the pinyon-juniper pygmy forest below.
The view west looks out over mixed pinyon-juniper woodland that gives way to semi-desert shrubland as the elevation declines to the drapery-like escarpment of the Roan Plateau.
What’s special about it?
Red tail hawks and golden eagles nest in the rocks and cliffs of the area, and bears roam the steep hillsides, providing opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography. Hiking is very popular in the area, with many spectacular vistas opening from the ridge.
The area has long been identified as a priority area for reintroduction of bighorn sheep.
The northern half of the CWP serves as crucial winter range for elk, and the western and southern flanks of the unit comprise crucial winter range for deer. The Rifle Arch area is home to the rare Wetherill's milkvetch plant.
Potential Threats
Grand Hogback is open to motorized vehicles, but the area's dramatic topography limits the ability of vehicles to move off established roads. Some however ride off trail and cause damage to the land, pollute the air, and disrupt wildlife and disrupt the peace and quiet of the area.
Several leases for gas development have been issued in the Grand Hogback. Interest in developing its coal resources is on the rise.
Other Info:
Environmental groups have proposed that the BLM create a 12,340-acre Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) on the Grand Hogback from Rifle Gap to Piceance Creek Road in Garfield County.
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