Unit 193 San Rafael, Dirty Devil
Wild, waterless slickrock desert on the southern San Rafael Swell — a once-in-a-lifetime desert sheep unit wrapped around general-season mule deer
Southern Utah — San Rafael Swell / Dirty Devil canyon country · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
2,052
sq mi
Public land
90%
approx.
Elevation
4,000–7,900
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
This is the southern half of the San Rafael Swell and the Dirty Devil country, a vast maze of BLM slickrock, deep canyons, and juniper benches straddling Emery, Wayne, and Sevier Counties. The signature draw is desert bighorn sheep — the San Rafael (Dirty Devil) unit is one of Utah's premier once-in-a-lifetime sheep tags, holding the state's largest desert bighorn herd across Muddy Creek, the San Rafael Reef, and the Dirty Devil breaks. Mule deer are the general-season quarry, spread thin across a big, dry, rugged unit that rewards hunters willing to hike far from water. Elk and pronghorn are present but secondary here.
Terrain
Classic Colorado Plateau relief — river canyons and desert flats near 4,000 ft rising to the crest of the San Rafael Swell and mesa tops approaching 7,900 ft (San Rafael Knob). Steep reefs, deep incised canyons, and broad slickrock benches dominate.
Cover: Blackbrush, sagebrush, and salt-desert shrub on the flats; pinyon-juniper woodland across the benches and mid-elevation mesas; cottonwood and tamarisk in the canyon bottoms along Muddy Creek and the Dirty Devil; sparse grass and forbs on the higher tops.
Landmarks: San Rafael Reef · Muddy Creek / Little Grand Canyon of the south Swell · Dirty Devil River breaks · San Rafael Knob · Goblin Valley area · Factory Butte country
Access
Overwhelmingly BLM public land with SITLA parcels scattered through, both generally open to hunting and dispersed use. Access is via I-70 through the middle of the Swell and a web of graded and rough dirt roads — Temple Mountain Road, the Behind-the-Reef Road, and Wild Horse / Goblin Valley roads on the east, plus Muddy Creek and Hidden Splendor approaches from the west near Emery. Many canyons are roadless Wilderness Study Areas requiring foot travel. No reliable water across most of the unit — everything below the tops is desert.
Managers: BLM, SITLA (state trust — generally open), private (limited, valley bottoms)
Access points: I-70 corridor bisecting the Swell · Temple Mountain / Goblin Valley road network (east side) · Behind-the-Reef Road along the San Rafael Reef · Hidden Splendor / Muddy Creek approaches from Emery · Hanksville and SR-24 as the southern gateway to the Dirty Devil
Species notes
Bighorn Sheep
common trophyThe headline hunt. The San Rafael / Dirty Devil unit holds Utah's largest desert bighorn herd and is a coveted once-in-a-lifetime tag with very long draw odds. Rams commonly run in the 150s to low 160s B&C — excellent hunt quality in dramatic slickrock terrain. Sheep concentrate on the San Rafael Reef, the rims and side canyons of Muddy Creek, and the broken breaks above the Dirty Devil.
- →Glass the rims, ledges, and steep escape terrain along the San Rafael Reef and canyon walls at first and last light
- →Focus on rugged country within a mile or two of the few reliable water sources
- →Cover ground with a spotting scope from high vantage points before committing to a stalk
- →Scout well ahead — this is a hike-far, glass-hard desert unit with a physically demanding once-in-a-lifetime tag
Mule Deer
common opportunityGeneral-season buck deer on a big, arid unit. Deer densities are low and animals are scattered, but the unit's size and remoteness mean pressure thins quickly away from the roads. This is opportunity hunting for patient desert hunters rather than a big-buck destination, though the Swell can surprise.
- →Hunt the pinyon-juniper benches and canyon-head pockets that hold cover and forage
- →Glass shaded north slopes and canyon rims in the morning, then still-hunt junipers midday
- →Key on the greener higher mesas early season and drainages with any water
- →Get well off the main roads — deer stack up in the rough canyon country hunters skip
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityA modest and localized elk presence, mostly on the higher, timbered/wooded northern edge of the unit near the top of the Swell. Not a primary elk destination — numbers are limited compared with the Wasatch Plateau units to the northwest.
- →Work the higher benches and wooded pockets near the crest of the Swell
- →Focus on isolated water and the greenest drainages
- →Hunt first and last light at the timber-desert edge
Pronghorn
limited opportunityPronghorn use the open desert flats and sagebrush basins around the fringes of the Swell in scattered numbers. A limited, spot-and-stalk opportunity rather than a marquee antelope unit.
- →Glass open sagebrush and blackbrush flats from vehicle-accessible high points
- →Use terrain and washes to close distance on open desert bucks
- →Watch water sources and grassy basins at dawn
Pro tips
- →The desert bighorn tag is a genuine once-in-a-lifetime — apply, bank points, and treat drawing it as the hunt of a lifetime
- →Water is everything: plan every day's route around the handful of reliable sources and pack far more than you think you need
- →Glass long from high vantage points before you burn energy — the terrain is too big to still-hunt blind
- →Run high-clearance 4WD, carry recovery gear, and stay off the clay roads when storms threaten
- →Carry a satellite communicator — there is no cell service and help is hours away
Watch out for
- !No reliable water across most of the unit — dehydration and heat are the real hazards
- !Dirt roads become impassable slick clay when wet; flash floods rip through canyons after storms
- !Wilderness Study Areas are closed to motor vehicles — know where the roadless boundaries are
- !Deer densities are low; this is a big-country, low-odds mule deer hunt
- !No cell coverage and long distances to help — go prepared to self-rescue
Logistics
This is remote, self-supported desert hunting. Green River (north, off I-70) and Hanksville (south, on SR-24) are the practical supply points for fuel, food, and lodging, with Emery and Ferron on the west side; there are no services inside the unit. Carry all your own water — springs are few and unreliable. High-clearance and often 4WD are essential on the dirt road network, and roads turn to impassable clay when wet. Cell coverage is essentially nonexistent across most of the Swell; carry a satellite communicator.
Nearest towns: Green River, Hanksville, Emery, Ferron, Castle Dale
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: Utah DWR — Hunt Planner / hunt boundaries · Utah DWR — Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan · GOHUNT — Utah bighorn/desert sheep application strategy (San Rafael/Dirty Devil) · Utah.com — San Rafael Wilderness Study Area (largest bighorn herd)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 193 in Utah?
- Unit 193 (San Rafael, Dirty Devil) covers about 2,052 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,000 to 7,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 193?
- Approximately 90% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA (state trust — generally open), private (limited, valley bottoms). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 193?
- 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 193 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.