Buena Vista sits along the Arkansas River at the foot of 14,000 foot Mount Princeton. A healthy population of mountain goats allows for a good hunt and the opportunity to take a nice goat.

This unit is highly used by hikers, mountain bikers, ATVs and four wheel drives during early September. 9” billys and nannies have been harvest over the last few years. Many hunters see numerous mountain goats during their hunt.

14,000 foot Mount Princeton is the centerpiece of this unit and is surrounded by a number of 13,000 foot peaks. Cottonwood and Tin Cup Pass reach above 12,000 feet. Middle and South Cottonwood Creek flow together creating Cottonwood Creek that empties into the Arkansas River. Gulches, canyons, scree slopes and avalanche chutes can make this a difficult hunt.

Sagebrush, oak brush, grasses, pinyon/juniper, cottonwoods and willows cover the land at lower elevations. Climbing into the foothills ponderosa and lodgepole pine, aspens, wildflowers and grasses are prominent. Higher up on ridges and slopes stands of spruce, pine and fir with open grassy parks create a quilted terrain. Alpine basins above 11,550 feet are filled with wildflowers, grasses, moss and lichens.

Campgrounds available in the San Isabel National Forest are Iron City, Chalk Creek, Cascade, Mount Princeton, Collegiate Peaks and Cottonwood Lake. Campgrounds available in Gunnison National Forest are Mirror Lake. Buena Vista offers many options for motels, restaurants, cafes, gas and diesel and medical care. Johnson Village has 24 hour fuel and café. Taylor Park and Tin Cup have limited gas and café’s available.

San Isabel National Forest and Gunnison National Forest service roads reach many backcountry areas. County Road 162 leads to Tin Cup Pass while County Road and Forest Service 360 cross Cottonwood Pass. Both of these roads connect to various county and forest service roads that lead into the backcountry.

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