One of Colorado's finest rivers
From its headwaters at nearly 12,000 feet in the San Miguel Mountains to its confluence with the Colorado River near Moab, the Dolores River charts a 240-mile course through some of the most stunning scenery in the state. On its descent to the Colorado, the Dolores winds through pristine alpine meadows, majestic ponderosa pine forests and dramatic, sheer-walled sandstone canyons.
Despite being impounded at McPhee Reservoir, where the Rockies meet the Colorado Plateau, several stretches of the lower river have been determined eligible for wild and scenic designation. In fact, below the reservoir, the Dolores offers one of the country’s longest wilderness river floats—170 miles through remote canyons and forest, including 250,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Area.
Saving headwaters and habitat at Dunton Meadows
In October 2024, in partnership with San Juan National Forest, Western Rivers Conservancy protected the 160-acre Dunton Meadows property, a critically important wetland meadow complex at the headwaters of the Dolores River. We purchased the property in May 2023, and then held it while working with the Forest Service to secure funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other sources to convey it to the San Juan National Forest.
Dunton Meadows is set in a high-elevation saddle between the East and West forks of the Dolores, dominated by a broad wetland meadow at the edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness. The entire landscape is presided over by the snow-capped summit of Mount Wilson and the high peaks of the San Juan Mountains.
The meadow complex serves as a cold-water sponge that collects, stores, cools, filters and gradually releases snowmelt and stormwater into Coal Creek, which contains some of the richest habitat in the entire upper Dolores River basin for the Colorado River cutthroat trout. The subalpine meadow is also excellent habitat for Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, black bear, Canada lynx, American marten and other wildlife.
Keeping an iconic viewshed intact
Surrounded by national forest and wilderness, Dunton Meadows is also extremely important from a recreational perspective. Its sweeping, undisturbed views of Mount Wilson and the Lizard Head Wilderness are emblematic of the area. The property is bisected by an access road that connects hikers to two of Colorado’s most scenic hikes: the Navajo Lake Trail and the Kilpacker Basin Trail. The San Juan National Forest’s acquisition of the property ensures the pristine nature of this alpine meadow and its mountain views remain intact.
The Dolores is one of the West’s great rivers, and our work at Dunton Meadows marks the beginning of our efforts to make a difference for this outstanding river system. This is a special place, and ensuring this property remains intact and open to all will be an immense benefit to the fish, wildlife and people of Colorado.
