Unit 246 West Desert, Snake Valley
One of the West's most remote, roadless desert units, where 12,000-foot island peaks hold Rocky Mountain bighorns above endless sage basins
Utah's Far West Desert — Snake Valley & the Deep Creeks · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
5,569
sq mi
Public land
90%
approx.
Elevation
4,300–12,087
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
The West Desert, Snake Valley unit is a vast, desolate sweep of Great Basin country running along the Nevada line from the Great Salt Lake Desert south to U.S. 6. Its centerpiece is the spectacular Deep Creek Mountains, which vault from 4,800-foot desert floor to 12,087-foot Ibapah Peak and shelter a herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep — a coveted once-in-a-lifetime tag — plus mule deer, elk and pronghorn. This is overwhelmingly public, roadless, self-reliant country: enormous, waterless and lonely, offering solitude and a genuine backcountry challenge far from the Wasatch Front crowds.
Terrain
Extreme basin-and-range relief. Wide sage and salt-desert valleys near 4,300-5,000 ft are separated by isolated ranges, culminating in the alpine Deep Creek Mountains, which rise over 7,000 vertical feet to Ibapah Peak at 12,087 ft — the highest point in Utah's West Desert.
Cover: Salt-desert shrub, sagebrush, shadscale and greasewood across the valley floors, rising through pinyon-juniper and mountain mahogany into aspen, limber pine, Douglas-fir, spruce and true alpine tundra on the crest of the Deep Creeks. Isolated springs and creeks create narrow riparian ribbons.
Landmarks: Ibapah Peak (12,087 ft) · Deep Creek Mountains · Snake Valley · Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge · Fish Springs Range · Dugway Range · Thomas Range · Granite Creek · Tule Valley
Access
The unit is overwhelmingly federal — vast BLM holdings including the Deep Creek Mountains and Scott's Basin Wilderness Study Area, plus the Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. Open SITLA parcels are scattered throughout. The Goshute (Confederated Tribes of the Goshute) reservation lands in and around the Deep Creek Mountains are NOT part of the unit and are private tribal land — do not trespass. Roads are long, unpaved and remote; the Deep Creeks themselves are largely roadless and require foot access.
Managers: BLM, US Fish and Wildlife Service (Fish Springs NWR), SITLA, private
Access points: Pony Express / Overland Stage Road (BLM) · Callao and the Deep Creek west-side ranch roads · Granite Creek / Trout Creek trailheads · U.S. Highway 6 (southern boundary) · Interstate 80 at the Knolls (northern boundary) · Fish Springs NWR auto tour route
Species notes
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyThe marquee draw. Rocky Mountain bighorns were reintroduced to the Deep Creek Mountains in 1984 and supplemented in 1989, and the range's rugged alpine escape terrain now supports a huntable herd. This is a once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain sheep tag and one of the rarest, most demanding sheep hunts in Utah.
- →Focus on the high alpine cirques, cliff bands and rock escape terrain of the Deep Creek crest around Ibapah and Haystack peaks
- →Backpack in and spend days behind a spotting scope locating and evaluating rams before committing
- →Glass the timberline edges early and late when sheep feed off the crags
- →Be in genuine mountaineering shape — this is a 7,000-vertical-foot, roadless range
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe Deep Creeks and outlying ranges provide critical summer and winter mule deer range across an enormous, lightly hunted unit. Deer are spread thin over huge country; success rewards mobility and glassing rather than road hunting.
- →Glass the pinyon-juniper foothills and mountain-mahogany benches of the Deep Creeks and satellite ranges
- →Hunt the aspen and conifer stringers high in the range early, dropping to the foothills as weather moves in
- →Work isolated springs, creeks and green pockets that concentrate deer in dry desert country
- →Cover ground — animals are dispersed, so relocate often until you find sign
Pronghorn
common qualityOne of the most desolate and isolated pronghorn ranges in the West. Antelope roam the wide Snake and Tule valley floors and foothill benches on a limited-entry tag, in true solitude far from other hunters.
- →Glass the vast open valley basins from high vantage points at first light
- →Use the few water sources and green seeps to pattern bucks in dry early-season conditions
- →Plan long stalks using terrain folds across treeless flats
- →Carry plenty of water and fuel — services are hours away
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk use the Deep Creek Mountains as important year-round habitat, with animals in the timbered mid- and high-elevation country. Numbers are limited across this huge unit, but bulls are available to hunters willing to hike into remote timber.
- →Hunt the aspen, mahogany and conifer pockets of the Deep Creeks
- →Check springs, seeps and wallows in early season
- →Glass the high basins and timber edges at dawn and dusk
Pro tips
- →For sheep, treat a Deep Creek tag as a mountaineering expedition — scout in summer, get in shape, and plan a multi-day backpack hunt
- →Carry far more water and fuel than you think you need; there are no services and few reliable springs
- →Keep the Goshute reservation boundary loaded on your GPS — tribal land around the Deep Creeks is closed
- →Download offline maps; cell coverage is nonexistent across most of the unit
- →This is a solitude unit — embrace the remoteness and plan for full self-recovery if a vehicle breaks down
Watch out for
- !Confederated Tribes of the Goshute reservation lands (in/around the Deep Creeks) are private and NOT part of the unit — no trespassing
- !Fish Springs NWR has its own access and hunting rules
- !Extreme remoteness, no services and no cell coverage — mechanical failure can be serious
- !Very limited water across the desert basins
- !Fast-changing, potentially severe weather in the 12,000-ft Deep Creek high country
Logistics
This is remote, self-supported country with essentially no services inside the unit. Fuel up and provision fully in Delta, Wendover or on the Nevada side before heading in, and carry extra fuel, water, recovery gear and repair supplies. Expect long stretches of unpaved BLM road, no cell service across most of the unit, and hours of driving to reach a trailhead. Camping is dispersed on BLM and SITLA ground.
Nearest towns: Delta, Callao, Ibapah, Wendover, Eureka
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT — Utah West Desert, Snake Valley Unit Profile · SUWA — The Deep Creek Mountains Wilderness · Deep Creek Mountains — Wikipedia (Ibapah Peak, bighorn reintroduction) · BLM — Deep Creek Mountains and Scott's Basin WSA · Utah DWR Hunt Planner
FAQ
- How big is Unit 246 in Utah?
- Unit 246 (West Desert, Snake Valley) covers about 5,569 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,300 to 12,087 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 246?
- Approximately 90% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, US Fish and Wildlife Service (Fish Springs NWR), SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 246?
- Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 246 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.