Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Location:	Colorado and Utah, USA
Nearest city:	Grand Junction, CO
Coordinates:	39°06′″N, 108°59′″W
Area:	75,439 acres (305 km²)
Established:	October 24, 2000
Visitation:	(in )
Governing body:	U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness is located in western Colorado and eastern Utah, USA, within the arid Colorado Plateau region approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Grand Junction, Colorado. The wilderness lies on the northwest flank of the Uncompahgre Plateau. It is characterized by the high, east-west trending Black Ridge dissected by seven major canyon systems, draining into the Colorado River in Ruby Canyon. Elevations range from 4,700 feet (1,433 meters) above sea level along the river to 6,800 feet (2073 meters). Canyons vary in length from several miles to twelve miles in length and may contain interesting side canyons. Geological features in these canyons include spires, windows, giant alcoves and desert varnish. Canyons may reach a depth of almost 1,000 feet (305 meters), forming spectacular redrock cliffs. Spring runoff and summer thunderstorms create glistening waterfalls and plunge pools. The area contains the second largest concentration of natural arches in the country. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Broadly, a wilderness area is a region where the land is left in a state where human modifications are minimal; that is, as a wilderness. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269 837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... Grand Junction is a city located in Mesa County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,986. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269 837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateaus Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. ... Grand Junction is a city located in Mesa County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,986. ... Grand Canyon, Arizona canyon, or gorge, is a valley walled by cliffs. ... The Colorado River from the bottom of Marble Canyon, in the Upper Grand Canyon Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the... Ruby Canyon is a roughly 25 mile (40 km) canyon on the Colorado River located on the Colorado-Utah border in the western United States, and is a popular destination for rafting. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Desert varnish Desert varnish is a dark coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. ... Rainbow Bridge was formed by a meandering watercourse A natural arch or natural bridge is a formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. ...

Vegetation in the meandering canyon bottoms includes pinyon-juniper, grasses, and cottonwoods, willow and box elder. The upland mesas contain a dense stands of pinyon-juniper with some sagebrush parks. Cryptobiotic soils are well developed in the upland area. Wildlife viewing may include deer, mountain lion, desert bighorn sheep, along with golden and bald eagles.The wilderness area is approximately 75,439 acres. Colorado contains approximately 70,319 acres and Utah contains approximately 5,120 acres. It was designated by the U.S. Congress in 2000 and is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness forms the core of the 122,300-acre (495 km²) McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. Species Section Cembroides     Pinus cembroides     Pinus orizabensis     Pinus johannis     Pinus culminicola     Pinus remota     Pinus edulis     Pinus monophylla     Pinus quadrifolia Section Rzedowskiae     Pinus rzedowskii     Pinus pinceana     Pinus maximartinezii Section Nelsoniae     Pinus nelsonii The pinyon pines (or piñon pines), are a group of pines, which grow in the southwestern United States and... Species See text. ... Species Populus deltoides L. Populus fremontii [[]] Populus nigra L. The cottonwoods are three species of poplars in the section Aegiros of the genus Populus, native to North America, Europe and western Asia. ... Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia- Violet Willow Salix alaxensis- Alaska Willow Salix alba- White Willow Salix alpina- Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides- Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula- Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides- Littletree Willow Salix arctica- Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita- Eared Willow Salix babylonica- Peking Willow Salix barrattiana- Barratts... Binominal name Acer negundo Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo), also known as Ash-leaved Maple or (confusingly) Boxelder, is a species of maple, which occurs throughout most of North America. ... Several mesas near Los Alamos, New Mexico. ... Binomial name Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ... A Cryptobiotic soil is a biological soil crust composed of living cyanobacteria, green algae, brown algae, fungi, lichens, and/or mosses. ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) The puma (Puma concolor) is a type of large cat found in North, Central and South America. ... Trinomial name Ovis canadensis nelsoni The Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States. ... Genera Several, see below. ... The Wilderness Act protects exceptional undisturbed natural areas and scenery, such as in the Ansel Adams Wilderness On federal lands in the United States, Congress may designate a wilderness area under the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269 837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ...

See also

• Ruby Canyon
• Wilderness
• National Wilderness Preservation System
• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas

Ruby Canyon is a roughly 25 mile (40 km) canyon on the Colorado River located on the Colorado-Utah border in the western United States, and is a popular destination for rafting. ... Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, United States Wilderness is land that has not been significantly modified by direct or indirect human activity. ... The National Wilderness Preservation System protects federally managed land areas that are of a pristine condition. ... Four federal agencies of the United States government administer the U.S. Wilderness Areas, which includes 680 wilderness areas and 105,695,176 acres (427,733 km²). These agencies are: United States Forest Service United States National Park Service United States Bureau of Land Management United States Fish and Wildlife...

References

• Lynna P. Howard, Utah's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide (Westcliffe Publishers, 2005) ISBN 1565793889

External links

• Wilderness.net: Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness
• BLM Colorado: Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness
• BLM Colorado: McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Surrounding area map from Google Maps
  • Location in the United States from the Census Bureau