Unit 100 Kaiparowits, West
Vast, roadless slickrock desert on the west Kaiparowits — a once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn stronghold spanning 1,600 square miles of BLM canyon country
Southern Utah — Kaiparowits Plateau / Grand Staircase-Escalante · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,614
sq mi
Public land
95%
approx.
Elevation
3,700–7,600
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
The Kaiparowits, West unit covers a huge, remote slice of the Grand Staircase-Escalante region between Escalante, Big Water and the north shore of Lake Powell. This is quintessential southern-Utah desert — high sage-and-juniper benches, the towering Straight Cliffs of Fifty Mile Mountain, and a maze of slickrock canyons draining toward Glen Canyon. The marquee hunt is desert bighorn sheep (a once-in-a-lifetime tag; the historic Kaiparowits sheep unit was recently split to better distribute hunters), backed by low-density pronghorn, general-season elk, and mule deer. Access is overwhelmingly public but genuinely rugged and roadless in the interior.
Terrain
From the Lake Powell shoreline near 3,700 ft up through stepped desert benches to the crest of the Kaiparowits Plateau and Fifty Mile Mountain (Straight Cliffs) topping out above 7,500 ft. Deeply dissected slickrock canyon country with long, waterless mesas.
Cover: Great Basin desert scrub, blackbrush and salt desert shrub on the low benches; sagebrush, pinyon-juniper woodland on the plateaus and the Straight Cliffs; scattered ponderosa and mixed conifer only on the highest ground. Riparian pockets are rare and precious.
Landmarks: Kaiparowits Plateau · Fifty Mile Mountain / Straight Cliffs · Hole-in-the-Rock Road · Smoky Mountain Road · Wahweap area · Lake Powell north shore · Big Water
Access
Almost entirely BLM monument land with NPS Glen Canyon along the lakeshore and scattered SITLA state-trust sections (open to hunting). Access is via a handful of long dirt arteries — Hole-in-the-Rock Road, Smoky Mountain Road, and spurs off US-89 and SR-12 — that turn to impassable clay when wet. The interior of the Kaiparowits Plateau is effectively roadless; expect long approaches on foot from road ends. Carry paper maps and a GIS layer; many two-tracks are rough or wilderness-study-area closed.
Managers: BLM (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument), NPS (Glen Canyon NRA along Lake Powell), SITLA, private
Access points: Hole-in-the-Rock Road (from SR-12 near Escalante) · Smoky Mountain Road (Escalante to Big Water) · US-89 near Big Water · Burr Trail / SR-12 at Boulder (unit edge) · Lake Powell boat access from Wahweap/Bullfrog
Species notes
Bighorn Sheep
common trophyThe signature species. The Kaiparowits desert bighorn herd is well-established and increasing, and the once-in-a-lifetime tag is among the premier desert sheep hunts in the Lower 48 — the historic unit was split (West and East) specifically to spread hunting pressure across the growing population.
- →Focus on the broken slickrock rims, the Straight Cliffs escarpment and side canyons where rams hold to escape terrain
- →Glass water sources and shaded north-facing ledges in the heat of the day
- →Plan multi-day backpack or spike-camp hunts off the road ends — the best sheep country is far from any two-track
- →Locate and evaluate several mature rams well before the season with long-range optics
Mule Deer
common qualityDesert mule deer scattered across the sage benches, juniper edges and canyon heads. Densities are lower than Utah's marquee deer units but mature bucks live in the rough, lightly hunted plateau country. Deer here are managed within the broader Boulder/Kaiparowits deer strategy.
- →Hunt the pinyon-juniper transition zones and canyon rims at dawn and dusk
- →Water is the key limiting resource — glass and still-hunt near guzzlers, seeps and green pockets
- →Get deep off the roads onto the plateau benches where bucks escape pressure
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk are present at low to moderate density on the higher, timbered ground of the Kaiparowits/Boulder region and are hunted under general any-bull opportunity in this area. Numbers thin out fast onto the dry desert benches.
- →Concentrate on the highest juniper-and-conifer ground of the plateau where elk find cover and water
- →Work meadow edges and springs early season
- →Be prepared to cover big country — elk are patchy across this vast unit
Pronghorn
limited opportunityA small, thinly distributed pronghorn population occupies the open desert flats, typically near Big Water and the north side of US-89. Numbers are low across this huge unit.
- →Glass the open flats and valley bottoms near Big Water at first light
- →Cover ground between water sources — bands range widely in the sparse desert
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a wilderness expedition — the best sheep and deer country is miles beyond the last drivable track
- →Scout water sources ahead of time; game and hunters both revolve around scarce water
- →Watch the weather religiously — a single rainstorm can strand you behind miles of impassable clay
- →Download offline maps and GIS ownership layers; two-tracks and WSA closures are easy to get wrong out here
- →For sheep, boat access on Lake Powell can open otherwise unreachable canyon country
Watch out for
- !Impassable clay roads when wet — plan around monsoon and winter storms
- !No cell service and no water across huge stretches — carry a satellite device and haul your own water
- !Scattered private and SITLA parcels amid the BLM — verify boundaries before crossing
- !Wilderness-study-area and monument travel restrictions on many two-tracks
- !Flash flooding in the slickrock canyons after rain
- !Extreme remoteness — self-rescue capability is essential
Logistics
Escalante and Boulder anchor the north end (fuel, lodging, limited groceries); Big Water, Page and Kanab serve the south. Beyond the pavement you are deeply self-sufficient — carry extra fuel, water for the whole trip, recovery gear and high-clearance/4WD. The clay roads (Hole-in-the-Rock, Smoky Mountain) become dangerously slick and impassable in rain. Cell coverage is nonexistent across most of the interior; carry a satellite communicator.
Nearest towns: Escalante, Boulder, Big Water, Page (AZ), Kanab
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Bighorn Sheep Unit Management Plan — Kaiparowits WMU #26 · Utah Wildlife Board approves updated deer management plan / hunt strategies (Kaiparowits sheep unit split) · GOHUNT — Utah Kaiparowits Unit Profile · UDWR Hunt Planner boundary — General Season Any Bull Elk (Boulder/Kaiparowits area)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 100 in Utah?
- Unit 100 (Kaiparowits, West) covers about 1,614 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,700 to 7,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 100?
- Approximately 95% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument), NPS (Glen Canyon NRA along Lake Powell), SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 100?
- Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 100 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.