Unit 79, Colorado

Elevations within the unit range from approximately 7,500 feet on the San Luis Valley floor to roughly 12,000 feet at the highest ridges within the unit boundary (GoHunt source). San Luis Peak at 14,014 ft is the high point of the adjacent La Garita Wilderness, which borders the unit to the west; its inclusion within GMU 79 boundary proper is not confirmed. The terrain transitions from flat-to-rolling on the eastern valley fringe to steep mountain ridges and drainages moving west. Glacially carved cirques occur at high elevation and broad subalpine meadows sit below the Continental Divide.

Primary road access arteries are US Hwy 160 along the south, US Hwy 285 on the east, and CO Hwy 149 (Silver Thread Scenic Byway) providing western access via South Fork and Creede. The unit boundary follows USFS Roads 676 and 675, Saguache County Roads 41G and G on the north, and County Highway 149 and USFS Roads 600 and 600-3A on the west. Forest Road 787 from Saguache Park/Cochetopa Park (off SH 114) leads to a wilderness trailhead. Interior backcountry is accessed via Stewart Creek and West Willow Creek trailheads into the La Garita Wilderness, which is restricted to foot and horseback travel. Most interior forest roads require 4WD; primitive routes become impassable in wet or snowy conditions. Spring road closures on Forest Service roads are typically mid-March through early May. The eastern third of the unit is predominantly private agricultural land with limited public access. The Rio Grande National Forest Saguache Ranger District (719-657-3321) manages most public land. The Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail pass through the high country.

Lower elevations (below ~8,500 ft) on the valley fringe support sagebrush flats, native grasslands, and scattered pinyon-juniper with cottonwoods in riparian corridors. Mid-elevations (8,500–11,000 ft) transition into Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir mixed with large scattered aspen groves and open ridge-top grasslands that are key summer and early-fall elk and deer range. Upper elevations feature alpine meadows, grass, wildflowers, and loose rock above treeline. Riparian corridors along La Garita Creek, Saguache Creek tributaries, and other drainages support willows and cottonwood at lower reaches. Ponderosa pine and Gambel oak (oakbrush) also occur in drier lower-mid-elevation zones.

Elk are the primary big game species in the Upper Rio Grande Elk Herd (DAU E-34, GMUs 76 and 79). Animals use high alpine meadows and subalpine forest in summer, with the rut typically beginning the first week of September. Fall cold snaps push elk to lower south-facing slopes and timber edges. Mule deer are common throughout, using higher terrain during archery and early rifle seasons and migrating downslope as weather deteriorates; some bucks winter on private crop fields on the valley floor. Pronghorn antelope are present in low numbers on the sagebrush and grassland eastern fringe, where much of the land is private. Black bear inhabit forested mid-to-upper elevations, concentrating in berry patches and oakbrush in late summer and fall. Mountain lion are present but secretive. Shiras moose have been documented in riparian willow and spruce-fir drainages, though numbers are limited. Bighorn sheep were formerly huntable (unit S79) but tags were eliminated to allow population recovery. Wild turkey occupy oak and pinyon-juniper zones in lower drainages. Rio Grande cutthroat trout are present in streams such as East Pass Creek.