The Wolford Mountain Special Recreation Management Area opens up this Thursday, April 15. These are the public lands with 120 miles of roads and motorized trails around the Wolford Reservoir north of Kremmling. Motorized use is prohibited from December 15 through April 15 for the protection of wildlife and their habitat during the winter and spring.
The Bureau of Land Management says the area is full of fossils. You can look but you can’t take them home with you. Here is more from their website:
Cretaceous Ammonite ACEC
Fossil collection is prohibited at this site, where the fossils of more than 100 invertebrate species can be found. The Kremmling Cretaceous Ammonite Locality takes visitors 72.5 million years back in time where they can view well-preserved specimens of tropical and subtropical mollusk fossils. Even the smallest rocks may contain scientifically and educationally valuable finds. This area has the highest concentration of such fossils in the world and is perfect for avid fossil enthusiasts as well as those visiting for the first time.
The North Sand Hills area also opens Thursday. That’s in neighboring Jackson County, about 11 miles northeast of Walden. Here’s more from the BLM Press release.
North Sand Hills SRMA is Colorado’s only open sand dune area for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation. The area consists mostly of sagebrush and rabbitbrush, intermixed with stands of aspen. East of the active sand dunes is a lodgepole pine forest. Faunae include deer, elk and black bear. Activities include hiking, backpacking, camping, hunting and photography.
The boat-shaped bugseed, Corispermum navicula, inhabits the vegetated periphery areas of the dunes, and can only found within the confines of the North and East Sand Hills of Jackson County, Colorado.
The dunes are open to OHV riding, but vegetated and fenced areas are closed to motorized use. Colorado OHV registration is required on all non-licensed vehicles; out of state OHV registrations and license plates are not valid in Colorado.
As a reminder, there is no garbage services within the SRMA, and visitors must pack out all refuse.
“North Sand Hills is Colorado’s only dune complex open to off-highway vehicles. We have a great partnership with Jackson County, the State Land Board and Colorado Parks and Wildlife who assist us in managing this tremendous resource,” said BLM Kremmling Field Manager Bill Mills.
Maps and additional information are available online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/recreation-activities/colorado or via hard copy at the Kremmling Field Office at 2103 East Park Avenue in Kremmling. While office access may be limited during ongoing COVID-19 impacts, please call ahead at 970-724-3000 to ensure availability of documents and staff.