Quick Tips
- No motorized vehicles
- Physically challenging terrain
- Do not cross tribal land
- Carry a good GPS unit
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
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This unit for several years was known as the Book Cliffs roadless area and is in the center of the southern half of the roaded area, which is now called Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek South. Hunters must hike or ride horses or mules to reach elk here.
This is a great unit for a hunter who likes to hike out and get away from crowds. Some good ridges for glassing and good hiking trails can be found in this area. Main canyons tend to get more horse traffic.
The main canyons start at high elevations in the south and drain to the north. Little Creek Ridge runs north to south through the middle of the unit. In some places water runs down canyon bottoms, but in other elk water in ponds, pockets of standing water, seeps or wallows. Some elk avoid watering in the main canyon bottoms because of heavy horse traffic, watering and wallowing in seeps in the backs of side canyons or on benches and in hollows away from creek bottoms.
Mountains are mostly timbered with pines, firs, junipers and aspens with grass, sagebrush, oak brush and serviceberries on ridges and some slopes. Creek bottoms are narrow in places and wide in others, expanding to long meadows of grass and sagebrush.
Trails start on Steer Ridge Road and Tenmile Knoll in the north and on Sego Canyon Road and Nash Wash in the south. There are Tribal Lands located in the unit that allow hunters to access other areas in the unit but prohibit hunting. Hunters can drive to trailheads from the north by leaving U.S. 40 near Fort Duchesne and following State Route 88, also called the Seep Ridge Road, south to Book Cliffs Ridge Road to Steer Ridge Road, and then taking a short side road to Tenmile Knoll. Hunters from the south can take Interstate 70 to BLM Road 195 to BLM Road 194 or I-70 to Old Highway 6 and 50 to BLM Road 194. From 194 hunters can go up Hay Canyon to Book Cliffs Ridge Road.
Almost all hunters hunt from a backcountry camp in She Canyon, along Willow or Little creeks. Motels are in Green River, Vernal, Jensen, and Dinosaur, Colorado, but are far from hunting areas.
Roughly 89 square miles
100% public land
Elevations from about 4,200 to 8,800 feet