The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Why is Dugout Ranch Special?

Located in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, Dugout Ranch is interspersed along the biologically rich canyon bottoms of Indian and North Cottonwood Creeks. These canyons are walled by steep sandstone cliffs and talus slopes that form the gateway to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

Ancestral Puebloan rock art and dwellings are found throughout the Dugout Ranch Canyonlands Project area, the most well known being Newspaper Rock. The Green Cabin and other historic structures were built by early settlers in the Dugout Country.

Facts

Location
Dugout Ranch is in San Juan County, 20 miles northwest of Monticello, Utah. It is near the entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

Size
5,200 acres

Conditions
Dugout Ranch is a working ranch, including the private residence of ranch lessee, Heidi Redd, and therefore can be visited by appointment only. Contact Barry Baker in our Moab Project Office for more information. 

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site

The Dugout Ranch's 5,200 acres and accompanying 250,000 acres of grazing allotments, provides about 255,000 acres of biologically diverse natural area and open space along the Colorado Plateau. The ranch's large 'relict areas' are locations that remain little or not at all altered by human actions. Three of these occur on the BLM-administered grazing allotments and are of special value to science. Faced with the need to sell the Ranch, the Redd family in 1995 began working with The Nature Conservancy to explore alternatives to commercial sale of the property.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

By acquiring the Dugout Ranch near Canyonlands National Park, The Nature Conservancy saved one of the West’s iconic landscapes. Today, the ranch, spanning more than 305,000 acres of private and public land, is the foundation for the ground-breaking Canyonlands Research Center. The Center works to increase our understanding of the interactive effects of climate change and land-use, and arm decision-makers with new information to adapt to challenges such as diminished Colorado River water quantity and quality, grazing and recreation impacts, and invasive species.

Things To Do

What to See

Plants
The purchase of the Dugout Ranch and associated water rights have helped protect more than 40 miles of native cottonwood- and willow- lined riparian areas. Many globally rare plants occur within the Dugout Ranch Project Area, such as Kachina daisy, Tuhy's breadroot, alcove rock daisy and pinnate spring parsley.

Animals
Animals within the Dugout Ranch Project Area include Allen's big-eared bat, big horn sheep, wild turkey, bear, mountain lion, Peregrine falcon, and the Mexican spotted owl.

Plan Your Visit

The Dugout is a working ranch, and visits are by appointment only. Please contact Dr. Barry Baker at (435) 259-4629 for more information.

Directions

By Appointment Only

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

Read our guidelines on posting comments