Unit 306 Pine Valley, Virgin River
Utah's Mojave-Desert corner — a once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn subunit in the slickrock and creosote of the Beaver Dam Mountains
Southwest Utah — Virgin River Gorge & Beaver Dam Slope · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
158
sq mi
Public land
95%
approx.
Elevation
2,200–7,680
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
This compact Virgin River subunit of the greater Pine Valley/Beaver Dam complex occupies Utah's extreme southwest corner where the Mojave Desert crosses the Utah-Arizona-Nevada tri-state line. Anchored by the Beaver Dam Mountains, the Virgin River Gorge and the Beaver Dam Wash country below St. George, it is desert bighorn sheep habitat first and foremost — sheep transplanted from the Zion herd in 2014-2015 have grown into a population of roughly 100 animals along the Virgin River. The bighorn tag here is a once-in-a-lifetime desert sheep permit, one of the rarest and most coveted hunts in Utah. Low-desert mule deer and cougar share the ground, but this is a sheep unit through and through.
Terrain
Rugged Mojave desert mountains rising abruptly from the ~2,200 ft Virgin River bottom in the gorge to the crest of the Beaver Dam Mountains near 7,680 ft. Deeply eroded slickrock, cliff bands, boulder chutes and dry washes provide classic desert-bighorn escape terrain.
Cover: True Mojave Desert scrub on the lower slopes — creosote bush, white bursage, blackbrush, cholla and Joshua trees — grading into pinyon-juniper woodland on the higher, cooler flanks of the Beaver Dam Mountains. Riparian cottonwood/willow threads the Virgin River corridor, the lifeline of the country.
Landmarks: Beaver Dam Mountains (Wilderness) · Virgin River Gorge (I-15) · Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area · Utah-Arizona-Nevada tri-state corner · Joshua Tree Road / Woodbury Desert Study Area · Shivwits area
Access
Almost entirely BLM — the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area (~63,500 acres) and the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness dominate the unit, with scattered SITLA state-trust sections open to hunting. Access is via I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge, Old Highway 91 over the Beaver Dam Slope, and rough BLM two-tracks off both. The wilderness is foot-access only, and much of the sheep terrain is genuinely rugged and roadless — expect long, hot approaches on foot. The Shivwits Paiute reservation borders the northeast; private ground clusters near Shivwits and the river bottom.
Managers: BLM (Beaver Dam Wash NCA / Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness), SITLA, Shivwits Band of Paiutes (tribal), private
Access points: I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge (Cedar Pocket exit) · Old Highway 91 (Shivwits to Beaver Dam, AZ) · BLM two-tracks off Old Hwy 91 onto the Beaver Dam Slope · Beaver Dam Wash NCA access roads · Foot access into the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness
Species notes
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyThe reason this subunit exists. Desert bighorn transplanted from the Zion herd in November 2014 and 2015 have established a population of roughly 100 sheep along the Virgin River and through the Beaver Dam Mountains. The permit is a once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn tag — an extraordinarily rare draw and a bucket-list hunt.
- →Glass the steep cliff bands, slickrock rims and boulder chutes of the Beaver Dam Mountains where rams hold escape terrain
- →Work the country near the Virgin River and reliable desert water sources — sheep tie to water in this arid range
- →Spend days behind top-tier optics locating and aging rams before committing to a stalk
- →Hunt escape-terrain edges early and late when sheep feed off the crags; plan for extreme heat and long waterless approaches
Mule Deer
limited opportunityLow-density desert mule deer occupy the higher pinyon-juniper flanks of the Beaver Dam Mountains as part of the broader Pine Valley general-deer unit. Numbers are thin in this Mojave-edge country compared with the mountain to the north.
- →Focus on the cooler, higher pinyon-juniper benches and washes with browse and shade
- →Glass at first and last light near water in the dry desert terrain
- →Hunt the transition where the desert scrub gives way to juniper
Cougar
limited opportunityCougars range the broken desert mountains following deer and now sheep, huntable under Utah's controlled seasons.
- →Cut tracks on desert two-tracks and in canyon bottoms, especially after rare rain or snow at elevation
- →Concentrate near water and the deer/sheep concentrations in the Beaver Dam Mountains
Pro tips
- →This is a once-in-a-lifetime sheep tag, not an annual plan — if you draw, build the entire hunt around locating one mature ram
- →Water is the master key: pattern the springs, guzzlers and the Virgin River corridor and hunt outward from them
- →Invest in the best optics you can carry — success is glassing-driven across vast, steep terrain
- →Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness is foot-access only; prepare for long, hot, waterless approaches
- →Respect the Shivwits Paiute reservation boundary and private ground near Shivwits and the river
Watch out for
- !Extreme Mojave-desert heat and scarce water — a genuine safety hazard
- !Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness is foot-access only; interior is roadless
- !Shivwits Band of Paiutes reservation is tribal land — not open to general public hunting
- !Flash-flood danger in washes during rare desert storms; clay roads impassable when wet
- !Very small, tightly managed sheep permit list — a bucket-list draw, not a strategy unit
- !Mojave Desert tortoise habitat and NCA rules — mind travel restrictions
Logistics
St. George is the full-service hub 30-40 minutes northeast — lodging, groceries, fuel, airport and hospital. Littlefield, Arizona and Mesquite, Nevada sit just across the state lines to the southwest for fuel and rooms near the gorge. Beyond the I-15 and Old Highway 91 corridors there are no services; carry ample water, recovery gear and paper/GIS maps. Summer and early-fall heat in this Mojave country is severe and dangerous — plan water and timing carefully.
Nearest towns: St. George, Ivins, Santa Clara, Shivwits, Littlefield (AZ), Mesquite (NV)
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Pine Valley Bighorn Sheep Unit Management Plan (Virgin River / Beaver Dam) · BLM Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area · Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness — Wikipedia · UDWR 2023 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Data
FAQ
- How big is Unit 306 in Utah?
- Unit 306 (Pine Valley, Virgin River) covers about 158 square miles, ranging from roughly 2,200 to 7,680 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 306?
- Approximately 95% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM (Beaver Dam Wash NCA / Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness), SITLA, Shivwits Band of Paiutes (tribal), private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 306?
- Bighorn Sheep, 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 306 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.