The sandstone cliffs and hidden red rock canyons of the Little Snake area of northwestern Colorado form mazes that are millions of years old, carved by biting grainy winds and gushing spring floods.  Expansive sagebrush landscapes provide food and habitat for a diverse population of wildlife such as the imperiled sage grouse, peregrine falcon, mule deer, and antelope. 

The Little Snake Area is an expansive oasis of over one million acres of remote wildlands and surprisingly pristine habitat in northwestern Colorado.  Although none of this acreage has been added to the National Wilderness Preservation System, more than 300,000 acres in this watershed, including the Vermillion Basin, merit that protection. 

Little Snake area. Photo by John Fielder.

Colorado's Hidden Playground

The Yampa River and its surrounding watershed provide exceptional opportunities for all outdoor enthusiasts.  Vermillion Creek, a tributary of the Yampa River found within the Vermillion Basin, offers visitors unparalleled hiking and views of ancient petroglyphs carved along 1,000 foot tall canyon walls -- giving visitors the opportunity to take a step back in time and revisit some of North America's natural history.  Camping along the river gives bird lovers an excellent chance to see rare and extravagant birds while anglers will find easy access to a dinner of cutthroat trout. 

Water lovers can spend a day leisurely floating around some of the river's mellow stretches or try their hand at boating the exciting and challenging rapids. Cedar Mountain, at 6,500 feet, provides excellent hiking to vistas overlooking the Yampa River as it cuts its way through the ancient seashell fossil beds. A mountain biker can ride down Cedar Mountain on single track or travel for over 100 miles along the Yampa Valley trail. 

Wildlife sightings are prevalent as a wide variety of wildlife are at home in northwestern Colorado.  The sage brush habitat is used by birds for nesting, and jackrabbits and cottontails to hide from predators or the summer sun.  Rocky Mountain junipers or western red cedars also provide nesting sights and food for animals such as chipmunks, elk, or antelope.  Finally the mountain shrub habitat is a transition between grasslands and forests as mule deer feed on new leaf growth before moving to higher elevations in the summer heat.

Keeping it Wild

With over one million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Little Snake area has great potential for wilderness consideration.  Citizens have proposed that 260,000 acres be designated as wilderness, and the BLM is studying another 77,000 to determine if they are wild enough to qualify.  One such area is the Vermillion Basin.  Citizens urged its protection in 1999 and the BLM's 2001 field review of roadless and wilderness character vindicated citizens' claims.  The agency found that 95 percent of the area has wilderness characteristics, including "expansive and colorful badlands, rugged, steep-walled canyons, and all or major portions of two designated Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.  Additionally this area has exceptional supplemental values including rare and uncommon plants and plant communities, unique geological features, spectacular scenery and scenic vistas, and irreplaceable cultural resources." Read our "Too Wild to Drill" report on the Vermillion Basin, detailing how oil and gas development is threatening this landscape.

Visitor Information

Access
The closest town is Craig, Colorado.  Take Highway 40 if coming from either the east or west. If coming from Wyoming or the south, take Highway 13. 

To visit Cedar Mountain, take U.S. Highway 40 west from Craig 1 mile, turn right on County Road 7, go north for 5 miles, then turn right on Cedar Mountain Access (BLM Route # 2190). The access road is a steep dirt road passable only in good weather.

Little Snake Wildlife Area
From Maybell, travel 17 miles north on County Road 19.

General Camping Information
Most of the public lands are accessible by way of state and county public roads. Camping is allowed on all public lands unless posted otherwise. For more information go to the BLM's Craig camping site.