Dark Timber Lodge
NESTLED IN A GORGEOUS SETTING OF ASPEN AND SPRUCE, DARK TIMBER LODGE OFFERS A PERFECT COMBINATION OF RUSTIC SIMPLICITY AND COMFORTABLE AMENITIES.
Around the lodge you’ll find ponds, meadows filled with wildflowers and timbered areas. Trails are easily accessed. The lodge lies within the Uncompahgre National Forest, which means you can walk off the private property and roam the beauty and wilds of our public lands for miles.
When you return from a day of hunting, you won’t be disappointed when you walk inside. Originally an old summer cabin dating back to the 1950s, the kitchen and baths have been updated. The lodge itself has been expanded and provides plenty of room to relax. There is a large bunk-room downstairs and private rooms upstairs. Hot showers and home-cooked meals make it an outstanding experience, right in the heart of elk country.
The Uncompahgre Plateau is a long and sprawling uplift in western Colorado that encompasses nearly 2,300 square miles with an average elevation of 9,500 feet above sea level. Rising from arid sagebrush hills up through scrub oak, aspens and finally dark timber, the area is home to an incredibly diverse range of ecological habitats. It’s also home to healthy populations of elk and mule deer.
Historically, the Uncompahgre Plateau was used by Native Americans, specifically the Tabeguache (pronounced "TAB-a-watch") band of Southern Utes. They spent summers on the plateau hunting and gathering and would typically winter down in the Uncompahgre River valley near Montrose, CO.
Our hunts take place on public lands managed by the Uncompahgre National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The broad diversity of landscapes in this massive area allow us to accommodate a variety of hunts and hunters.
Right Out Our Front Door…
Unit 61
On the west side of the Uncompahgre Plateau sits one of Colorado’s premier hunting units. GMU 61 is home to quality bull elk and mule deer, with limited hunting pressure. It takes many years of preference points to draw one of these coveted tags. If you’ve been saving your points, consider hunting with us in unit 61.
This area has dark timber and aspen groves at higher elevations, then falls away into steep canyons lined with oak brush. From the early seasons during the elk rut and continuing into the later rifle seasons, this area offers hunters a chance to take a quality bull elk.
Unit 62
The Uncompahgre Plateau is split primarily into two game management units (GMUs), as defined by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. On the east side is unit 62, one of the largest GMUs in the state where we enjoy hunting in spruce forests, mature aspen groves and thick scrub oak brush.
Over-the-counter elk licenses are available in unit 62 for archery, 2nd rifle and 3rd rifle seasons, making this a great opportunity hunt that’s available every year. Licenses for the 1st rifle season are available in the annual big game draw, but can be drawn with no preference points.
Let’s Plan Your Adventure
Join us on a hunting trip in western Colorado.