Visit Us
The 93,000 acre Baca National Wildlife Refuge is located in the northeastern part of the San Luis Valley. The Refuge has a diverse combination of shrublands, grasslands, wet meadows, playa wetlands, and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian corridors. This Refuge was set aside not only as a haven for migratory birds and resident wildlife, but also for its importance in a broader conservation effort to protect the wildlife, habitat, and water of the northern San Luis Valley. The Refuge also contains the rich archeological telling of over 12,000 years of use by humans, including the extensive history of the famed Baca Grant Ranch.
Activities
Visitor Contact Station
The Baca National Wildlife Refuge provides a small but informative visitor contact station at the Refuge office. There are interactive displays, historical stories, wildlife and Refuge management information, and an amazing view of 14,000-foot peaks of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.
Hunting
Elk hunting is allowed on the Refuge. Portions of the Refuge are open to hunting in accordance with Federal, State, and local regulations; the most restrictive regulations apply on the Refuge.
Attention: Elk Dispersal Hunting Opportunity: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex in partnership with the Colorado Parks & Wildlife is offering an oppurtunity for hunters to help mitigate game damage conflicts on and around the Monte Vista and Baca NWR's by participating in an anterless elk dispersal hunt on the Baca and Monte Vitsa Refuges. Please refer to the Facebook announcement listed below for more information and to apply for this opportunity, or contact the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Office in Monte Vista by calling 719-587-6900.
CPW Facebook Announcement https://www.facebook.com/CPWMonteVista
*** Elk hunters using the OnX maps, or any other land use app, while elk hunting at the Baca NWR, may notice that south of the designated General Elk Hunting Area is a unit labeled as “SLV Conservation Area.” While that unit is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and administered by the Baca NWR, both hunting and general access by the public are prohibited in that unit. The Service is working to correct how the app provides information about that unit, and that update will likely occur in spring of 2025. That said, during the elk seasons, hunters will still have access to the designated Archery Elk Hunting Area and General Elk Hunting Area. More information about accessing those areas is provided below in the Refuge Hunting Regulations link.
Baca NWR Elk Hunting Regulations and Map
For information about hunting on Baca National Wildlife Refuge, please review our Baca Refuge Hunt Brochure.
Other Facilities in the Complex
About the Complex
The San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex is made up of the Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Baca National Wildlife Refuges and is an area set aside for migratory birds and resident wildlife. These Refuges are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, a network of lands set aside and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specifically for wildlife. The Refuge System is a living heritage, conserving wildlife, and habitat for people today and generations to come.
The 12,026 acre Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge includes wetland areas, riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian corridors, wet meadows, and river oxbows. The wetland and river habitats provide a wildlife oasis in this dry region. These habitats support a variety of wildlife, including songbirds, water birds, raptors, deer, beavers, coyotes, and more.
The artificially created wetlands on Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge’s 14,804 acres are intensively managed to provide habitat for a wide variety of waterfowl and other water birds. Mallards, pintails, teals, and Canada geese are common, as are American avocets, killdeers, white-faced ibises, egrets, and herons. Irrigation canals and wells provide precious water to maintain this important habitat.
The 93,000 acre Baca National Wildlife Refuge is a highly diverse combination of shrublands, grasslands, wet meadows, playa wetlands, and riparian areas. This Refuge was set aside not only as a haven for migratory birds and resident wildlife, but also as an important piece in a broader conservation effort to protect the wildlife, habitat, and water of the north and eastern portions of the San Luis Valley.
Rules and Policies
At this time, the Baca Refuge has limited public use available.
These public activities include:
A small visitor contact station is located inside the Refuge office.
The Baca Trail that connects to the neighboring Colorado College Nature Trail.
Elk hunting in designated hunt areas on the refuge. Baca Refuge Hunt Brochure
All other areas of the refuge is currently closed to public use.
Locations
The Baca NWR office is located approximately 10.5 miles east of Highway 17 on the south side of County Road T. The gate at the end of the driveway is between two large timbers, with "Luis Maria Baca Grant" in cast iron lettering above it.