ShareTrails | Fees and Reservations Proposed in Rabbit Valley, Within the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Colorado

So many visitors are heading to Rabbit Valley near the Western border of Colorado that the Bureau of Land Management will immediately require camping reservations and begin building or revamping campsites.

Located west of Fruita in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Rabbit Valley is managed for motorized recreation, including riding motorcycles, ATVs, Off-road vehicles. BLM wants to limit the surge of riders by requiring reservations and collecting fees because dispersed camping is allegedly causing environmental impacts.

Rabbit Valley is the latest place in Colorado where limits on dispersed camping have been imposed in recent years. Colorado has been a hot-bed of dispersed camping restrictions, and these restrictions are part of a nationwide trend as land managers confront the impacts of increased interest in outdoor recreation.

The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado is seeking public input on dispersed camping in Rabbit Valley, west of Grand Junction. BRC supports access to public lands and the BLM is looking to implement restrictions on where users can go and what they can do. The proposal will end free dispersed camping in Rabbit Valley and would implement a $20/night fee for two vehicles and a $10 additional charge for any extra vehicles. The planned restrictions will also result in 75 total designated campsites. We’ve seen these counties in Colorado look to create “Camping concentration areas” in previous plans and implement many road closures. Comments are due by June 28, 2022 but temporary restrictions have gone into effect immediately. 

You can read the BLM plan here.