For centuries, the rugged granite cliffs, colorful rock outcroppings and stunning mountain vistas of Browns Canyon National Monument have attracted visitors from around the world. Browns Canyon National Monument, including the Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area (WSA), covers approximately 22,000 acres of federally and state-managed public lands in Chaffee County, Colorado. The area’s unusual geology and roughly 3,000-foot range in elevation supports a diverse riparian corridor, granite outcroppings, wooded drainages lead from the river to upland areas covered with aspen, limber pines, Douglas firs, and subalpine grasslands. The variety of terrain provides a wealth of geological, ecological and cultural and historic resources.
President Obama designated the 21,589-acre Browns Canyon National Monument on February 19, 2015. The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service jointly manage the Monument. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), through the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), manages river-based recreation on the Arkansas River through Browns Canyon.
