GMU 25 GMU 25 — Garfield/Eagle Co.
OTC White River elk on the wild southern shoulder of the Flat Tops
Northwest Colorado — Garfield & Eagle Counties (southern Flat Tops / Deep Creek / Sweetwater) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
232
sq mi
Public land
83%
approx.
Elevation
6,100–12,240
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 25 is a roughly 232-square-mile unit on the southern edge of the Flat Tops, climbing from the Colorado River and Glenwood Canyon up onto the timbered White River plateau. It sits inside Colorado's famous White River elk herd — the largest elk herd in North America — and carries a heavy over-the-counter component: bull elk tags are sold OTC for the second and third rifle seasons, which brings both opportunity and crowds. Mule deer is fully limited-draw and hunts well on the mid-elevation shrub benches, and the high lakes and willow basins of the Flat Tops hold a small, once-in-a-lifetime moose population.
Terrain
Big vertical relief. The unit rises from Colorado River benches near Dotsero and Glenwood Canyon (~6,100 ft) up through steep, timbered canyons — Deep Creek, Sweetwater Creek — onto the flat, lake-dotted volcanic plateau of the Flat Tops above 11,000 ft. Access hinges on climbing out of the river country onto the plateau via a handful of forest roads.
Cover: Pinyon-juniper and mountain shrub on the lower benches, thickening into oakbrush, aspen, and dark timber (spruce-fir) on the mid slopes, opening to subalpine meadows, willow basins, and rolling tundra-edge parks on top of the Flat Tops.
Landmarks: Flat Tops Wilderness (southern edge) · Deep Creek Canyon · Sweetwater Creek · Sweetwater Lake · Coffee Pot Road (FR 600) · Colorado River / Glenwood Canyon · Deep Lake · Dotsero
Access
Overwhelmingly public — most of the high country is White River National Forest, with BLM on the lower river benches. The main ways up are Coffee Pot Road (FR 600) from Dotsero and Sweetwater Creek Road (FR 607) to Sweetwater Lake. Private ranches line the Colorado River corridor and the Sweetwater valley, so pin the boundary before dropping off the plateau. Colorado State Trust lands are NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program — do not count them as huntable.
Managers: USFS White River National Forest, BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office, private ranch
Access points: Coffee Pot Road (FR 600) from Dotsero / I-70 · Sweetwater Creek Road to Sweetwater Lake · Deep Creek Overlook road · I-70 Dotsero exit · Glenwood Canyon corridor
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
abundant opportunityThe headliner and a true opportunity unit — part of the world's largest elk herd with OTC bull tags in the second and third rifle seasons. Numbers are strong, but so is pressure, and heavy OTC crowding on the Flat Tops keeps mature bull age-class down. Recent bull success ran near 14%.
- →During rifle seasons the elk are mostly up high on the plateau — get onto the Flat Tops early and hunt the dark-timber pockets and willow basins away from the road corridors.
- →Use the OTC crowd to your advantage: let opening-morning pressure off the main roads push elk into steep, nasty timbered draws off Deep Creek and Sweetwater and be waiting there.
- →Archery and muzzleloader are quieter — pattern bugling bulls in the aspen-and-park edges below the wilderness before the rifle armies arrive.
Mule Deer
common qualityA solid limited-draw deer unit that flies under the radar behind the elk. Bucks favor the oakbrush and aspen benches at mid-elevation rather than the high plateau. Recent success was strong at roughly one in three tags filled.
- →Glass the oakbrush-aspen transition and mountain-shrub benches at first and last light rather than the open plateau top.
- →Later hunts get better as snow pushes bucks down toward the pinyon-juniper benches above the Colorado River.
- →Hunt the edges between private ranch bottoms and public timber — bucks use that seam, but verify the line.
Moose
limited qualityA small, high-quality moose population uses the willow basins and lake edges of the Flat Tops. Tags here are a rare once-in-a-lifetime draw, not something to plan a trip around, but the animals are genuine.
- →Focus on willow-choked drainages and the margins of the high lakes on the plateau at dawn and dusk.
- →Glass slowly — bulls hold in thick willow and only step out into the open briefly morning and evening.
- →Treat this as a bucket-list draw and scout specific willow complexes well before season.
Pro tips
- →Elk is OTC for 2nd and 3rd rifle — expect company and plan to out-hike the crowds off the road corridors.
- →Coffee Pot Road and Sweetwater Creek Road are the two keys to the plateau; scout both before season and watch the weather.
- →Mule deer is the sleeper draw here — quality bucks in the oakbrush get overlooked in the elk frenzy.
- →Learn the private-ranch boundaries along the Colorado River and Sweetwater valley cold before dropping off the mountain.
- →Early snow can trap you up top — carry recovery gear and don't get caught above the mud line.
Watch out for
- !Heavy OTC hunting pressure and crowded trailheads during the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons.
- !Private inholdings along the Colorado River corridor and Sweetwater valley — verify boundaries.
- !Colorado State Trust lands are not open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Upper forest roads turn to impassable mud and drift shut with early snow.
- !Flat Tops Wilderness carries no-motorized-use rules — know the wilderness boundary.
Logistics
I-70 runs the southern edge, so Glenwood Springs, Gypsum, and Eagle put full-service fuel, groceries, motels, and repair within easy reach — an unusually easy road-access unit for such rugged country. The catch is the climb: getting onto the Flat Tops means slow, rough forest roads (Coffee Pot, Sweetwater) that turn to greasy mud and drift shut with early snow. Bring high-clearance 4WD, plan for a plateau camp or long daily climbs, and expect other trucks at every trailhead during OTC rifle seasons.
Nearest towns: Glenwood Springs, CO, Gypsum, CO, Eagle, CO, Dotsero, CO, Burns, CO
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: CPW Big Game Hunting · GOHUNT — Colorado Unit 25 Profile (secondary cross-check) · HuntScore — Colorado GMU 25 (secondary cross-check) · White River National Forest — Flat Tops (USFS)
FAQ
- How big is GMU 25 in Colorado?
- GMU 25 (GMU 25 — Garfield/Eagle Co.) covers about 232 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,100 to 12,240 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 25?
- Approximately 83% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS White River National Forest, BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office, private ranch. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 25?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Moose. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 25 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.