Colorado GMU 421 · Grand Mesa · Field Camp Plan
A one-camp plan that works for summer scouting and the late-October cow hunt, built around a Subaru's reach. Layout is schematic — accurate in relationship, not survey-precise.
| Spot | Elevation | Subaru road | Late Oct | Best for | Coords |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Base camp — lower FSR 262 off the Vega dam, first 3–5 mi |
8,000–8,500 ft | Maintained gravel — stay below Kenney Creek | Open · snow-safe | The hunt + summer camp — feeds Monument / Leon / Willow drainages | near 39.22°N 107.81°W |
| 2 Vega State Park developed fallback / anchor |
~8,000 ft | Paved — easiest access here | Early Settlers to Nov 15 | Weather bailout, water, jump-off point | 39.225°N 107.811°W |
| 3 Big Creek / Trickle Park Grand Mesa top |
~10,000+ ft | Gravel, dry summer only | Snow — closes ~early Oct | Summer scouting only — glass dark timber & wallows, then camp low for the hunt | 39.078°N 107.883°W |
| 4 4WD-only gate past Kenney Creek jct |
~9,000 ft | Do not push past — Subaru's limit | — | Turnaround reference, not a camp | — |
421 is a public-land-on-the-margins unit: the productive valley floor is private ranchland, and the public ground sits in the timbered slopes above it. So you camp at #1, hunt up into the National Forest, and work the public/private edges where elk move. Use the mesa top (#3) only for summer recon — it snows out before your season. Keep #2 in your back pocket if late-October weather turns the FSR 262 gravel greasy.
| Priority | Where | Why here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monument Trail #518 Leon ↔ Willow ↔ Buzzard Ck | Best-documented ground in the unit — a foot trail linking the top drainages through meadow / aspen / spruce-fir. Off CO-330 from Collbran. Start here. |
| 2 | Bear Gulch | Named in two independent reports as non-motorized with consistent elk — your best pocket to escape quad pressure on foot. |
| 3 | Kenney Creek | Closest named drainage to camp #1, off FSR 262. |
| 4 | Salt Creek / Silver Spruce | Lower transition-zone pockets near Bear Gulch. |
| 5 | Willow / Buzzard Ck edge | Public timber against the private Plateau Valley ranchland — your dawn/dusk edge hunt. Verify the line on onX. |
Glass north-facing dark timber next to wet meadows on the benches. Hunters who work the flat mesa top get skunked — the elk are on the sides.
FSR 262 is the OHV staging corridor — hammered opening weekend. Hunt weekdays and hike off any ATV trail; elk run miles ahead of a quad.
Confirm FSR 262 conditions and pull the current Grand Mesa MVUM — several road details are from hunter trip reports, not official data.
Check exact late-October campground status and whether water is still on at Early Settlers.
Antlerless draw — double-check your exact cow-season dates against the 2026 CPW brochure; they can differ from the general 2nd-rifle window.