Unit 58, Colorado

Elevation ranges from 5,760 feet at Parkdale along the Arkansas River canyon to 11,710 feet on Waugh Mountain, spanning approximately 6,000 vertical feet across roughly 1,014 square miles. The northern third is South Park, a high grassland basin sitting above 8,500 feet elevation. The central and southern portions rise into moderately steep to steep mountain terrain centered on the 39-Mile Mountain, Dick's Peak, Black Mountain, and Waugh Mountain massifs. The southern boundary follows the Arkansas River canyon, characterized by steep rimrock walls and canyon benches. Approximately 80 percent of the public land has slopes of 23 degrees or less.

Primary paved access routes forming the unit boundaries are US-50 (south, Arkansas River corridor), US-24 (north), CO-9 (east, from Hartsel area), and US-285 (west). The BLM Royal Gorge Field Office (3028 E. Main St., Canon City, CO 81212; 719-269-8500) administers lands within the unit; access roads are subject to wet-weather gate closures. Pike National Forest and San Isabel National Forest provide additional public land. Key foot-access area: Dick's Peak is reached from Hartsel via CO-9 south 14 miles, then 3.8 miles southwest on Dick's Peak Road (CR 261); foot access only past road end. Cotopaxi-area public lands are accessed via CR 12 north from Cotopaxi approximately 5.5 miles. State Wildlife Areas include Waugh Mountain SWA, Pikes Peak SWA, Badger Basin SWA (fishing only—no hunting), and Collard Ranch SWA (1,800 acres along Tarryall Creek between Kenosha Pass and Fairplay; hunting Oct 1–Dec 31, closed Jan 1–Apr 30 for wintering wildlife, day-use only, SWA pass required, no camping, no dogs). Private land dominates South Park and is scattered throughout the southern two-thirds; detailed land ownership maps (onX, MVUM) are essential. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended for back-road access. Public land is approximately 49.7% of the unit (BLM ~28%, USFS ~9%, State ~10%, other ~1%).

Below 7,000 feet in the canyon country and lower foothills, vegetation is sagebrush, grassland, and pinyon-juniper woodland. The middle elevations transition into oakbrush, ponderosa pine, and aspen. Higher elevations support spruce-fir forest and subalpine meadows. South Park's northern third is open high-elevation grassland at 8,500+ feet, heavily grazed and largely private. Riparian corridors follow the Arkansas River, Badger Creek, South Arkansas River, and Tarryall Creek. Turkey habitat concentrates in the southern half around ponderosa pine and oakbrush thickets.

Mule deer are the primary big-game draw, with the best habitat in the southern half in the ponderosa-oakbrush zone; numbers and quality are reportedly increasing. White-tailed deer occupy riparian corridors along the Arkansas River drainage. Elk use the unit year-round and as a migration destination: resident elk inhabit the 39-Mile Mountain, Dick's Peak, Black Mountain, and Waugh Mountain areas through summer and early fall, with herds building significantly in November as elk migrate in from surrounding units. Bull elk are taken across public land, but larger bulls tend to be on private ranches. Pronghorn occur on the open South Park grasslands in small numbers—fewer than 150 animals estimated across GMUs 48, 56, and 58 combined (primarily on private land). Black bears inhabit the oakbrush and mixed-conifer zones. Mountain lions inhabit the canyon country and rocky rimrock terrain along the Arkansas River drainage. Rio Grande turkey (and possibly Merriam's—unit sits in a transitional zone) are huntable in the southern half in ponderosa pine and oakbrush areas.

1. Unit area corrected to ~1,014 sq mi per GoHunt (draft stated 872 sq mi). 2. Collard Ranch SWA acreage corrected to 1,800 acres per Colorado Sun (draft stated 1,860); located between Kenosha Pass and Fairplay along Tarryall Creek/US-285 corridor. 3. The 36% overall success rate from HuntScore covers all hunted species combined for 2022 — not elk-specific; removed from elk species_data. 4. OTC status for 2nd and 3rd rifle bull elk confirmed for GMU 58. Nonresident archery elk is draw-only west of I-25 starting 2026 (GMU 58 falls west of I-25). 5. Season dates confirmed via Raghorn Outfitters: Archery Sep 2–Sep 30; Muzzleloader Sep 12–20; 1st Rifle Oct 14–18; 2nd Rifle Oct 24–Nov 1; 3rd Rifle Nov 7–17; 4th Rifle Nov 18–22; Late Elk Nov 23–Jan 31 2027. 6. BLM Royal Gorge Field Office address (3028 E. Main St., Canon City, CO 81212; 719-269-8500) confirmed. 7. Pronghorn numbers (<150 combined across GMUs 48, 56, 58) from GoHunt; most on private land in South Park. 8. Public land ~49.7% confirmed by GoHunt; breakdown (BLM ~28%, USFS ~9%, State ~10%, other ~1%) from HuntScore. 9. Unit-specific hunt codes and draw odds require the official 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure.