Unit 25 Box Elder, Puddle Valley
Remote, sun-blasted desert basins west of the Great Salt Lake — pronghorn country between the Grassy, Lakeside and Hogup ranges
Northwest Utah — Great Salt Lake West Desert · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
452
sq mi
Public land
90%
approx.
Elevation
4,300–6,900
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Puddle Valley subunit sits in the wide-open West Desert of southern Box Elder County, a low, arid basin ringed by short, isolated desert ranges just west of the Great Salt Lake. It is one of the geographic pieces of Utah's sprawling general-season Box Elder deer unit, but its real identity is pronghorn: open shrub-steppe flats hold speed goats, while desert mule deer live at low density in the rougher range fingers. This is big, empty, mostly-BLM country where hunters cover miles behind glass rather than working timber.
Terrain
A broad desert valley floor near 4,300 ft rising into a scatter of short, dry ranges — the Grassy Mountains, Lakeside Mountains, Hogup Mountains and Newfoundland Mountains — that top out roughly 6,500–7,000 ft. Puddle Valley itself separates the Grassy Mountains from the Lakeside Mountains.
Cover: Great Basin salt-desert shrub and shadscale on the flats, greasewood and saltgrass near the playas, grading into sagebrush, rabbitbrush and scattered pinyon-juniper on the higher slopes. Almost no forest cover — this is glassing terrain.
Landmarks: Puddle Valley · Grassy Mountains · Lakeside Mountains · Hogup Mountains · Newfoundland Mountains · Great Salt Lake Desert playas
Access
Overwhelmingly BLM public land with scattered SITLA state-trust sections (open to hunting) and some private/agricultural ground near the valley edges. Travel is on graded and primitive dirt roads and designated BLM routes — in the Hogup Mountains and similar areas most routes require high-clearance 4WD. There is no developed trailhead network; access is drive-in on two-tracks off the desert road grid. Note that Hill AFB's Utah Test and Training Range and other closures lie in the broader West Desert — verify range and closure boundaries before venturing far west.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, private
Access points: I-80 frontage/exits south of the unit · Lakeside Road / rail-corridor access · Hogup Mountains designated BLM routes · Primitive desert two-tracks off the county road grid
Species notes
Pronghorn
common qualityThe signature hunt. Pronghorn range across the open shrub-steppe flats of the West Desert basins, and UDWR added new muzzleloader pronghorn seasons on the Box Elder units specifically to spread out hunters. Open country and good visibility make this classic spot-and-stalk antelope hunting.
- →Glass the wide sagebrush and shadscale flats from any rise at first and last light
- →Use the folds and low ridges of the desert to close distance on treeless terrain
- →Locate water sources and guzzlers — bands revolve around scarce water in this dry basin
- →Judge bucks carefully with a spotting scope before committing to a long stalk
Mule Deer
limited opportunityDesert mule deer live at low density in the brushy range fingers and canyon heads of the Grassy, Lakeside, Hogup and Newfoundland mountains. This is part of the general-season Box Elder deer unit — an opportunity hunt in dry country, not a trophy destination, though the isolated ranges hold a few older bucks.
- →Focus on the pinyon-juniper and sagebrush transition on the desert ranges rather than the open valley floor
- →Hunt near seeps, springs and guzzlers where deer concentrate
- →Glass rough, broken slopes at dawn and dusk when deer feed off bedding
Cougar
limited opportunityMountain lions follow the desert deer through the isolated ranges. Densities are low and hunting is opportunistic, typically tied to tracking conditions after snow in the higher range terrain.
- →Cut tracks along snowy ridgelines and canyon bottoms in the desert ranges
- →Focus on areas holding wintering deer
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a glassing hunt — cover country with optics from high points, not by walking blind across the flats
- →Scout and mark water sources and guzzlers ahead of time; both game and hunters revolve around them
- →Download offline maps and BLM/SITLA ownership and route layers — designated-route rules apply and boundaries are easy to miss
- →Verify military range and closure boundaries in the broader West Desert before ranging far
- →Carry more water than you think you need — there is none out here
Watch out for
- !No water and no services across the interior — haul your own and carry a satellite device
- !High-clearance 4WD terrain; primitive routes and BLM designated-route restrictions
- !Utah Test and Training Range and other West Desert closures lie nearby — confirm boundaries
- !Clay roads turn greasy and impassable when wet
- !Scattered private and SITLA parcels amid the BLM — verify before crossing
- !Extreme heat, wind and exposure early season
Logistics
There are no services inside the unit — fuel, water and supplies come from Tooele/Grantsville to the south or the Tremonton/Snowville corridor to the north before you head into the desert. Be fully self-sufficient: haul all your water, carry recovery gear, extra fuel and a satellite communicator. Cell coverage is spotty to nonexistent across the interior. High-clearance 4WD is strongly recommended.
Nearest towns: Grantsville, Tooele, Snowville, Corinne, Tremonton
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Deer Herd Unit Management Plan — Unit #1 Box Elder · Utah Wildlife Board approves new hunt strategies (Box Elder pronghorn muzzleloader seasons) · Hogup Mountains — Wikipedia (range geography) · Lakeside Mountains — Wikipedia (Puddle Valley geography) · BLM Utah — Hogup Mountains Designated Routes
FAQ
- How big is Unit 25 in Utah?
- Unit 25 (Box Elder, Puddle Valley) covers about 452 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,300 to 6,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 25?
- Approximately 90% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 25?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 25 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.