Unit 6, Colorado

North Park is a broad, glacially carved intermontane basin averaging 8,000 ft elevation, rising from roughly 7,800 ft near Northgate (Wyoming border) to 12,951 ft on the summits of the bordering ranges (Clark Peak vicinity in the Medicine Bow Mountains). The central and western basin is open, gently rolling sagebrush-grassland with brushy creek drainages. The eastern and northern margins — where the Medicine Bow and Park ranges rise — feature steeply pitched ridgelines, rocky outcrops, and dense timber. The Never Summer Mountains form the southern boundary near Gould and provide access to the adjacent Rawah and Never Summer wilderness areas.

Primary highway access is via Colorado Highway 125 (the north-south spine through Walden connecting to Granby/US-40 in the south and Cowdrey/WY in the north) and Colorado Highway 14 (the Cache la Poudre–North Park Scenic Byway linking Walden east to Fort Collins via Cameron Pass). US-40 approaches from the south through Granby. The unit is managed under the Routt National Forest, Parks Ranger District (100 Main Street, Walden, CO 80480; 970-723-2700), which administers the forested mountain flanks. Colorado State Forest State Park (71,000+ acres) occupies the southeastern corner near Gould and Cameron Pass, offering extensive 4WD and OHV roads plus trailhead access into the Never Summer and Rawah Wilderness areas. The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (south of Walden along CO-125) is open for waterfowl hunting; big game hunting access and rules should be verified directly with the refuge. BLM lands (Little Snake Field Office) contribute additional public acres in the northern portions; the BLM North Sand Hills Special Recreation Management Area in Jackson County is closed to motorized and mechanized vehicles (including snowmobiles) December 15–April 15. The central basin floor (roughly 32% private) is dominated by hay ranches and private irrigated land, creating a checkerboard of private and public parcels — late-season animals frequently move to lower private ground. Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) from the Parks Ranger District are required for planning forest road access.

The basin floor is dominated by sagebrush-grassland interspersed with irrigated hay meadows, riparian willows, and cottonwood corridors along the North Platte, Michigan, Illinois, and Canadian rivers. Wetland and marsh complexes — especially within the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge — provide critical moose and waterfowl habitat. Mid-elevation slopes support ponderosa pine, aspen, and lodgepole pine, transitioning to blue spruce and subalpine fir on north and east aspects. Higher ridges carry Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir and open alpine tundra above treeline.

Elk inhabit the timbered mountain flanks in summer and early fall, with bulls in dark timber during daylight hours; as seasons progress, herds migrate toward lower sagebrush and meadow edges, much of which is private land on the basin floor. Mule deer are distributed throughout the unit, with bucks summering at higher elevations and moving to lower sage terrain in winter. Pronghorn are resident on the open sagebrush-grassland basin floor year-round, with good densities in the central and northern park. Shiras moose — whose Colorado reintroduction began in North Park in 1978 with 24 animals from Wyoming and Utah — are present throughout the unit, particularly in riparian willow corridors and wetland edges; Jackson County (herd management area M1) supports a significant portion of Colorado's moose population. Black bear occur in the forested mountain margins. Mountain lion prey on deer and elk in the timbered areas. Wild turkey are present. The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge wetlands host large concentrations of waterfowl (up to 8,000 ducks in fall) but are not a big game focus.

1. Public land percentage: HuntScore reports 68% (13% USFS, 17% BLM, 10% State, 27% classified as NPS — likely includes Arapaho NWR federal land misclassified; GoHunt reports 66.6%). 2. Elk OTC status: specific OTC eligibility for GMU 6 bull elk was not confirmed in available sources — verify in 2026 Big Game Brochure. 3. Per-species harvest data for GMU 6 could not be extracted from CPW PDFs. Aggregate 2022 figures from HuntScore: 3,456 hunters, 441 harvest, 12.8% success rate across all species. 4. The 2026 rifle season dates (1st Oct 14–18, 2nd Oct 24–Nov 1, 3rd Nov 7–15, 4th Nov 18–22) and muzzleloader dates (Sep 12–20) are from the official CPW BGSS 2025–2029. 5. Moose season dates not populated — hunt codes, dates, and quotas are set annually; verify in current Big Game Brochure. 6. Mountain lion dates are for the regular season; a new fall mountain lion season concurrent with rifle deer/elk seasons is pending regulatory implementation. 7. Arapaho NWR: waterfowl hunting confirmed (up to 8,000 ducks in fall); big game hunting access not confirmed by FWS source — hunters should contact refuge directly. 8. BLM North Sand Hills closure: confirmed closed to motorized AND mechanized vehicles including snowmobiles Dec 15–Apr 15; wildlife-protection rationale not specified in source.