Grand Gulch Primitive Area

Remote and rugged backcountry, the area is accessible only by pack animal or on foot. Grand Gulch is a serpentine canyon entrenched into the otherwise gently sloping surface of Cedar Mesa in the southwest part of the Bureau of Land Management’s Monticello Field Office. It is famous for its Ancestral Puebloan cliff ruins and rock art. The Kane Gulch Ranger Station is located on the mesa near Kane Gulch, which is a major tributary and access point to Grand Gulch. The southern end of the gulch flows into the San Juan River, in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. BLM manages recreational activity in this area through a joint agreement with the National Park Service. Grand Gulch is a Wilderness Study Area (WSA) and is managed by the BLM as part of the Cedar Mesa Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA).  Grand Gulch is a popular area for hiking and backpacking to see Ancestral Puebloan cliff ruins and rock art in a natural setting. Grand Gulch and its tributaries feature miles of winding canyons lined with cliffs that provided sheltered overhangs to people in the past. Some ruins are amazingly inaccessible, perched high on ledges and under overhangs. Other attractions include the scenery and wildlife, as well as the solitude of desert canyons.