Uncompahgre Plateau
Encyclopedia
The Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado
is a distinctive large uplift part of the Colorado Plateau
. Uncompahgre is a Ute Indian word that describes the water: "Dirty Water" or "Rocks that make Water Red".
The plateau, with an average elevation of 9500 feet (2,895.6 m), rises from the Colorado River
4600 ft (1,402.1 m) to Horsefly Peak 10300 ft (3,139.4 m). It continues on about 90 miles (144.8 km) southeast to the northwest margin of the San Juan Mountains
. Its boundaries are the San Miguel
and Dolores
Rivers to the west, Unaweep Canyon
at the north and the Gunnison
and Uncompahgre
Rivers on the south.
Large canyons such Big Red, Tabeguache, Spring Creek, Roubideau, Escalante, Big Dominquez, and Unaweep
are separated by generally flat mesas. The Plateau watersheds include four tributaries of the Colorado River
: Dolores River
, Gunnison River
, San Miguel River
and Uncompahgre River
.
The Uncompahgre Plateau includes about 2290 square miles (5,931.1 km²) in five counties: Delta
, Mesa
, Montrose
, Ouray
, and San Miguel
.
The plateau is under the management of:
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
is a distinctive large uplift part of the Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
. Uncompahgre is a Ute Indian word that describes the water: "Dirty Water" or "Rocks that make Water Red".
The plateau, with an average elevation of 9500 feet (2,895.6 m), rises from the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
4600 ft (1,402.1 m) to Horsefly Peak 10300 ft (3,139.4 m). It continues on about 90 miles (144.8 km) southeast to the northwest margin of the San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
. Its boundaries are the San Miguel
San Miguel River (Colorado)
The San Miguel River is a tributary of the Dolores River, approximately 90 mi long in southwestern Colorado in the United States...
and Dolores
Dolores River
The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah....
Rivers to the west, Unaweep Canyon
Unaweep Canyon
Unaweep Canyon is a geologically unique canyon that cuts across the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado. It is unique because two creeks, East Creek and West Creek, flow out of opposite ends of the canyon, separated by the almost imperceptible Unaweep Divide.-Hypotheses of origin:There are...
at the north and the Gunnison
Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...
and Uncompahgre
Uncompahgre River
The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the...
Rivers on the south.
Large canyons such Big Red, Tabeguache, Spring Creek, Roubideau, Escalante, Big Dominquez, and Unaweep
Unaweep Canyon
Unaweep Canyon is a geologically unique canyon that cuts across the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado. It is unique because two creeks, East Creek and West Creek, flow out of opposite ends of the canyon, separated by the almost imperceptible Unaweep Divide.-Hypotheses of origin:There are...
are separated by generally flat mesas. The Plateau watersheds include four tributaries of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
: Dolores River
Dolores River
The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah....
, Gunnison River
Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...
, San Miguel River
San Miguel River
The San Miguel River may refer to:*San Miguel River , a tributary of the Dolores River, in the U.S. state of Colorado* San Miguel River , a tributary of the Sonora River, in the Mexican state of Sonora...
and Uncompahgre River
Uncompahgre River
The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the...
.
The Uncompahgre Plateau includes about 2290 square miles (5,931.1 km²) in five counties: Delta
Delta County, Colorado
Delta County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 27,834 in the 2000 U.S. Census. The county seat is the City of Delta...
, Mesa
Mesa County, Colorado
Mesa County is the fourth most extensive and the eleventh most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including Grand Mesa. The county population was 146,723 at the 2010 United States Census. The...
, Montrose
Montrose County, Colorado
Montrose County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 41,276 at U.S. Census 2010. The county was named for its county seat, the City of Montrose...
, Ouray
Ouray County, Colorado
Ouray County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 3,742 at U.S. Census 2000. As of 2010, U.S. Census data place the population at 4,436. The county seat is the City of Ouray...
, and San Miguel
San Miguel County, Colorado
San Miguel County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for the San Miguel River. The county population was 6,594 at U.S. Census 2000...
.
The plateau is under the management of:
- United States Forest ServiceUnited States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
Uncompahgre National ForestUncompahgre National ForestUncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres in parts of Montrose, Mesa, San Miguel, Ouray, Gunnison, San Juan, and Delta Counties in western Colorado...
land 545907 acres (2,209.2 km²) (37%) - Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land ManagementThe Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
545280 acres (2,206.7 km²) (37%) - State of Colorado: Colorado State Land Board and Colorado Division of WildlifeColorado Department of Natural ResourcesThe Colorado Department of Natural Resources is the department of the government of the U.S. State of Colorado that is responsible for the development, protection, and enhancement Colorado natural resources for the use and enjoyment of the state's present and future residents, as well as for...
land 8689 acres (35.2 km²) (<1%) - Private property, mostly in the Uncompahgre ValleyUncompahgre ValleyThe Uncompahgre Valley is an agricultural valley of the Uncompahgre River around the town of Montrose in the western part of the U.S. state of Colorado...
, totals 365547 acres (1,479.3 km²) (25%)