Past conservation work continues to pay big public access dividends for hunting and other recreational pursuits in western Colorado. Way back in 1993, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up with several partners on relatively short notice to acquire the 4,200-acre King Mountain Ranch. Located some 130 miles west of Denver, 30 miles south of Steamboat Springs and immediately adjacent to King Mountain itself, RMEF worked its partners to convey the property to the Bureau of Land Management.
Not only did that transaction permanently protect wildlife habitat but it opened it up to public use, plus it opened access to more than 8,000 acres of previously inaccessible land-locked public land. With sweeping views of King Mountain to the south and the Flattops Wilderness Area to the west, the property features sagebrush valleys, stands of aspen and mixed conifers, and prime riparian habitat including two streams and more than 30 ponds and reservoirs. And today, it remains prime habitat for elk, deer, bears, mountain lions and a wide range of other bird and animal life.
Opening and improving public access is key to RMEF’s conservation work. To learn more about the sites and boundaries of RMEF access projects near you or your favorite hunting area, turn on the RMEF layer in the onX Hunt App.
