Browns Canyon National Monument is in Chaffee County, Colorado. The site will be centered along the Arkansas River between Buena Vista and Salida. Browns Canyon is the most popular destination for whitewater rafting in the country, and is also known for its fishing and hiking. The monument will provide habitat protection for bighorn sheep, peregrine falcons, elk, and golden eagles.
CPW Pocket Trail Map #8: Trails Map of Hecla Junction & Siedel's Suckhole areas in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (RA) in Colorado. Published by Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
CPW Pocket Trail Map #7: Trails and Overview Map of Stone Bridge / North of Salida area in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (RA) in Colorado. Published by Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
Camping on Public Lands in Colorado. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Browns Canyon NM
https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/browns-canyon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browns_Canyon_National_Monument
Browns Canyon National Monument is in Chaffee County, Colorado. The site will be centered along the Arkansas River between Buena Vista and Salida. Browns Canyon is the most popular destination for whitewater rafting in the country, and is also known for its fishing and hiking. The monument will provide habitat protection for bighorn sheep, peregrine falcons, elk, and golden eagles.
Plants
Wildlife
The plant community in this area has repeatedly
evolved since the Eocene Epoch (56-33.9
million years ago). Geologic changes since
the Precambrian (4,600-541 million years ago)
make the area an important site for research on
paleoclimatology and the effects of wildland fire
and other disturbances.
Browns Canyon is home to some of Colorado’s
most emblematic animal species, including
mountain lions, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer,
bobcat, red and gray fox, black bear and coyote,
among others. The area’s cliffs provide excellent
habitat for peregrine falcons, prairie falcons and
golden eagles.
Unique plant species within Browns Canyon
include the endemic Brandegee’s buckwheat
as well as imperiled species such as Fendler’s
Townsend-daisy, Fendler’s false cloak-fern,
Livermore fiddleleaf and the endemic Front Range
alumroot.
the state’s longest--nearly a third of Colorado’s
322 Gold Medal river miles in a single segment.
The Gold Medal designation itself doesn’t carry
any special fishing regulations; however, a valid
Colorado Fishing License is required and other
special fishing regulations apply within certain
portions of the Gold Medal stretch of river. For
more information, please refer to CPW fishing
regulations (http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/
RulesRegs/Brochure/fishing.pdf).
Following the Leave No Trace principles
and combining them with your personal
judgment, awareness and experience will
help protect natural and cultural resources
and preserve the experience for future
visitors. Please learn and practice Leave
No Trace skills and ethics and pass them
on to those you meet. It’s easy to enjoy and
protect the monument simultaneously.
The rugged river corridor of Browns Canyon
National Monument represents one of the only
riparian ecosystems along the Arkansas River
that remains relatively undisturbed. Riparian
corridors provide very important migration routes
for birds and insects. A number of reptile and
amphibian species are found in the area, including
Woodhouse’s toads, chorus frogs, bullsnakes,
plains garter snakes, western rattlesnakes and
Short-horned lizards.
Plan ahead and prepare.
W
E
S
Travel and camp
on durable surfaces.
TM
•
Dispose of waste
properly.
TM
•
Leave what you find.
Photo by Susan Mayfield
TM
•
Fishing
Minimize campfire
impacts.
The Arkansas River within the AHRA is a world–
class fishery and provides an excellent opportunity
for anglers to test their skills at catching brown
and rainbow trout. As a testament to the excellent
fishery, CPW designated the Arkansas River
from the confluence with the Lake Fork of the
Arkansas River downstream to Parkdale, Colorado
(102 miles), as a Gold Medal Trout Fishery in
2014. This addition to the Gold Medal registry is
TM
•
Respect wildlife.
TM
•
Browns
Canyon
For more Information
rock outcroppings and stunning mountain vistas
of Browns Canyon National Monument have
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
307 W. Sackett Avenue
Salida, CO 81201
719-539-7289
https://www.blm.gov/visit/arkansas-headwatersrecreation-area
attracted visitors from around the world. The
area’s unusual geology and roughly 3,000-foot
range in elevation support a diversity of life and a
wealth of geological, ecological, riparian, cultural
National Monument
BLM Royal Gorge Field Office
3028 East Main Street
Cañon City, CO 81212
719-269-8500
and historic resources.
The 21,589-acre Browns Canyon National
Monument was designated on February 19, 2015.
USFS Salida Ranger District
5575 Cleora Road
Salida, CO 81201
719-539-3591
https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/browns-canyonnational-monument
The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S.
Forest Service jointly manage the monument.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), through the
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA),
BLM Photo by Bob Wick
BLM Photo by Bob Wick
BLM/CO/GI-20/011
Cover: Photo by CPW
Browns Canyon does not have an onsite visitor
center. Information and collectable “passport”
stamp are available at the above locations.
Browns Canyon.
Whitewater Activities
About National Monuments
manages river-based recreation on
the Arkansas River through
For more information, visit https://lnt.org/
National monuments are designated
to afford protection, conservation and
restoration to landscapes of tremendous
beauty, diversity, and historic or scientific
interest. The Antiquities Act of 1906
granted the President authority to
designate national monuments to protect
“objects of historic or scientific interest.”
While most national monuments are
established by the President, Congress
has also occasionally established national
monuments to protect natural or historic
features. Since 1906, the President and
Congress have created more than 100
national monuments managed by the
Bureau of Land Management, the National
Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Whitewater boating is the most popular
recreational activity that occurs in Browns Canyon.
Throug