GMU 501 GMU 501 — Park/Jefferson Co.
A big, overwhelmingly-public Pike National Forest unit an hour from Denver, built on wilderness elk and mule deer
Central Colorado — Tarryall Mountains & Lost Creek Wilderness (Park/Jefferson Co.) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
502
sq mi
Public land
94%
approx.
Elevation
6,800–12,431
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 501 sprawls across roughly 500 square miles of the Front Range's western foothills southwest of Denver, straddling Park and Jefferson counties along the US 285 and Tarryall corridors. It is unusual for a unit this close to the metro area in being about 94% public land — Pike National Forest plus the 119,000-acre Lost Creek Wilderness form its backbone, climbing from the North Fork South Platte and Tarryall Creek up onto the Tarryall, Kenosha, and Platte River mountains. Mule deer is the leading harvest species and is fully limited-draw, while elk is a solid limited-draw opportunity (no over-the-counter here); a handful of fringe pronghorn tags round it out on the South Park edge.
Terrain
Steep, timbered Front Range mountain country rising from the North Fork South Platte and Tarryall Creek drainages onto the Tarryall, Kenosha, and Platte River ranges, topping out at Bison Peak (12,431 ft) in the granite-domed heart of the Lost Creek Wilderness. Rock outcrops, tumbled boulder fields, and dark timber define the high country; the eastern edge grades into the Hayman burn scar.
Cover: Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir on the lower and mid slopes, lodgepole and spruce-fir higher up, with aspen pockets, willow-lined creek bottoms, and open granite parks. The 2002 Hayman burn on the eastern side has grown back into productive grass-and-shrub browse.
Landmarks: Tarryall Mountains · Bison Peak · Lost Creek Wilderness · Kenosha Mountains · Tarryall Reservoir · Tarryall Creek · Kenosha Pass · Long Scraggy Peak · Wellington Lake · Smith Creek drainage · Hayman burn area
Access
One of the more public-heavy Front Range units — roughly 94% public, dominated by Pike National Forest with the Lost Creek Wilderness at its core. The wilderness is non-motorized, so plan to hunt it on foot or horseback from trailheads. Private inholdings and subdivisions cluster along the US 285 corridor (Bailey, Grant), Tarryall Road, and around Wellington Lake, so verify boundaries near development. Colorado State Trust lands are NOT open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program — do not count the small state acreage here as huntable.
Managers: USFS Pike National Forest (South Platte & South Park Ranger Districts), USFS Lost Creek Wilderness, private ranch
Access points: US 285 / Kenosha Pass · Tarryall Road (County Road 77) and Tarryall Reservoir · Lost Creek Wilderness trailheads (Goose Creek, Lost Park, Wigwam) · Wellington Lake Road · Deckers / South Platte (eastern edge)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe leading harvest species and a genuinely good limited-draw deer unit, with recent success running near half of tags filled. Bucks use the ponderosa benches, granite parks, and aspen edges, dropping toward the lower drainages as snow builds.
- →Glass the open granite parks and ponderosa-fir edges on the flanks of the Tarryall and Kenosha ranges at first and last light.
- →Work aspen pockets and the timber-park transition lines rather than the deep dark timber.
- →Later rifle seasons concentrate bucks lower toward Tarryall Creek and the South Platte drainages as high country snows in.
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityA solid limited-draw elk unit — there is no over-the-counter tag here, so plan around the draw. Success is modest (recent bull success around a quarter of tags), typical of pressured Front Range timber. Most of the harvest comes out of the Smith Creek drainage in the north, with the Lost Creek Wilderness and regenerating Hayman burn also holding animals.
- →Get back into the Lost Creek Wilderness on foot or horseback; the further you break from motorized access, the less pressure and the more consistent the elk.
- →Hunt the Smith Creek drainage in the north and the regenerating Hayman burn edges where new browse pulls animals in.
- →When pressure builds, elk retreat to the darkest north-slope timber — still-hunt those pockets midday and catch them on the park edges at the margins of light.
Pronghorn
limited opportunityA marginal, fringe pronghorn opportunity on the open western/South Park edge of the unit — a very small number of tags and only a few animals taken in a typical year. This is an incidental species here, not a reason to draw the unit.
- →Focus on the open grass parks and sage flats on the western fringe toward South Park where the timber breaks open.
- →Glass long from two-tracks and use terrain folds to close on scattered bands.
- →Treat it as a bonus tag paired with deer or elk scouting rather than a standalone hunt.
Pro tips
- →Elk and deer are both limited-draw here — no OTC — so plan around drawing the tag rather than a walk-up hunt.
- →The Lost Creek Wilderness is the unit's ace: non-motorized, big, and it holds animals away from the crowds; be ready to hunt on foot or with stock.
- →The Smith Creek drainage in the north is the traditional elk producer — scout it before season.
- →The regenerating Hayman burn on the east side has become productive browse; work its edges.
- →Verify boundaries near the US 285 and Tarryall subdivisions — private inholdings are scattered through the public ground.
Watch out for
- !Private inholdings and subdivisions along US 285 (Bailey/Grant), Tarryall Road, and near Wellington Lake.
- !Colorado State Trust lands are not open to hunting unless enrolled in CPW's Public Access Program.
- !Lost Creek Wilderness is non-motorized — no vehicles, bikes, or game carts.
- !Early snow can close high-country roads and complicate wilderness pack-outs.
- !Proximity to Denver means real hunting pressure on the road-accessible public ground.
Logistics
The US 285 corridor towns of Bailey, Grant, and Jefferson offer fuel, basic supplies, and lodging, with full services back toward Conifer and the Denver metro to the east and Fairplay to the west. Most hunters day-hunt from the highway or camp at Forest Service sites; wilderness hunts require packing in from trailheads. Roads range from paved highway to rough Forest Service two-track, and high-country routes can snow shut early. Cell coverage is patchy off the corridor — carry a map and a backup communicator.
Nearest towns: Bailey, CO, Grant, CO, Jefferson, CO, Lake George, CO, Conifer, CO
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Colorado sources:
Research sources: GoHunt — Colorado Unit 501 Profile · Hunters Domain — CO Unit 501 Hunting Info (94% public, USFS 287,000 ac, Lost Creek Wilderness) · USFS — Lost Creek Wilderness, Pike National Forest · CPW — Tarryall Creek State Trust Land
FAQ
- How big is GMU 501 in Colorado?
- GMU 501 (GMU 501 — Park/Jefferson Co.) covers about 502 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,800 to 12,431 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 501?
- Approximately 94% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Pike National Forest (South Platte & South Park Ranger Districts), USFS Lost Creek Wilderness, private ranch. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 501?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Colorado agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 501 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.