Unit 756 San Rafael, South
The southern San Rafael Swell — a slickrock labyrinth of the San Rafael Reef and Muddy Creek country holding one of Utah's best desert bighorn herds
Central Utah — San Rafael Swell (South) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,361
sq mi
Public land
95%
approx.
Elevation
4,200–7,900
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
San Rafael, South covers the southern half of the San Rafael Swell, the great dome of upthrust rock west of Green River and south of I-70. It is a stark, colorful desert of tilted sandstone reefs, deep box canyons, buttes and washes — the San Rafael Reef, Muddy Creek gorge, Goblin Valley and the Sids Mountain badlands. The marquee hunt is desert bighorn sheep; the San Rafael herd is among the largest and best in Utah. Mule deer and pronghorn round out the big game, all on nearly unbroken BLM public land.
Terrain
A tilted uplift of sandstone rising from desert washes near 4,200 ft to the higher benches and mesas above 7,000 ft. The signature feature is the San Rafael Reef — a jagged, near-vertical wall of upturned sandstone — backed by an interior maze of canyons, buttes and slickrock draining through Muddy Creek and the San Rafael River.
Cover: Cold desert — blackbrush, shadscale, salt desert shrub and grass on the flats and washes; sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodland on the benches and mesa tops; cottonwood and tamarisk along the San Rafael River and Muddy Creek. Cover is sparse and glassing dominates.
Landmarks: San Rafael Reef · Muddy Creek / The Chute · Goblin Valley State Park · Sids Mountain WSA · Temple Mountain · The Wedge Overlook (Little Grand Canyon) · San Rafael River · Factory Butte area
Access
Overwhelmingly BLM public land with scattered SITLA state-trust sections (open to hunting) and small private/state-park inholdings. Access is via a handful of graded dirt arteries — the Temple Mountain / Goblin Valley road off SR-24, the Buckhorn Draw and Cottonwood Wash roads, and spurs off I-70 — feeding rough two-tracks and countless dead-end canyon roads. Much of the interior is de facto roadless or wilderness-study-area, so expect long foot approaches. Roads turn to slick clay when wet and washes flash-flood.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, Utah State Parks (Goblin Valley), private
Access points: Temple Mountain Road / Goblin Valley (from SR-24) · Buckhorn Draw & The Wedge (from Castle Dale/Green River) · Cottonwood Wash Road · I-70 spurs (Ranch Exit, Devils Canyon) · SR-24 corridor (Hanksville–Green River)
Species notes
Bighorn Sheep
common trophyThe signature species. The San Rafael desert bighorn herd is one of the largest in Utah — the San Rafael units hold the most sheep in the state — and the once-in-a-lifetime desert ram tag here is a premier draw. Rams hold to the broken reef, canyon rims and escape terrain across the swell.
- →Focus on the San Rafael Reef, the Muddy Creek canyon walls and side-canyon rims where rams hold to escape terrain
- →Glass shaded north-facing ledges and near water in the heat of the day
- →Plan multi-day spike camps off the road ends; the best sheep country is far from any two-track
- →Locate and evaluate several mature rams before the season with long-range optics
Mule Deer
common qualityDesert mule deer scatter through the pinyon-juniper benches, canyon heads and washes of the swell, part of the broader Manti/San Rafael deer management strategy where population objectives were recently raised. Densities are lower than the high Wasatch Plateau, but rough, lightly hunted canyon country holds mature bucks.
- →Hunt the pinyon-juniper transition zones and canyon rims at dawn and dusk
- →Water is the limiting resource — glass and still-hunt near guzzlers, seeps and green pockets
- →Push deep off the roads onto the benches and mesa tops where bucks escape pressure
Pronghorn
limited opportunityPronghorn use the open desert flats and grassy benches on the fringes of the swell, part of the San Rafael desert antelope range. Numbers are dispersed and tags are few.
- →Glass the open flats and benches on the swell's margins where bands feed
- →Cover ground to locate animals in this low-density country
- →Use terrain folds to close the distance across open desert
Cougar
common opportunityMountain lions work the canyon country following the deer and bighorn, and are hunted on the unit.
- →Cut for tracks in canyon bottoms and along sandy washes after weather
- →Focus on deer concentration areas and the broken reef where lions travel and ambush
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a backpack/spike-camp unit — the best sheep and buck country is a long hike from any road
- →Time your day around water and shade in the desert heat; animals hold to north faces midday
- →Carry far more water than you think you need and a satellite communicator
- →Study the reef and canyon systems on a GIS layer before you go — the interior is a maze of dead-end canyons
Watch out for
- !Flash floods in Muddy Creek, the Chute and slot canyons after any rain
- !Clay roads impassable when wet; deep sand traps 2WD
- !No water, fuel, services or cell coverage in the interior
- !Scattered private and state-park inholdings (Goblin Valley) — verify boundaries
- !Extreme heat and full sun exposure early season
Logistics
Base out of Green River (full services, I-70) on the east or the Castle Valley towns — Castle Dale, Ferron, Emery — on the west. Hanksville anchors the far south. Once you leave pavement there is nothing: carry all your water, fuel, food, recovery gear and paper maps. Cell service is nonexistent across the interior. Dispersed camping on BLM ground is the norm; a high-clearance 4x4 and a spare or two are essential.
Nearest towns: Green River, Castle Dale, Ferron, Emery, Hanksville
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Maps / Hunt Planner · Utah Wildlife Board — bighorn sheep & mountain goat statewide plans update · GOHUNT — Utah San Rafael desert bighorn / unit profiles · BLM — San Rafael Swell / Price Field Office
FAQ
- How big is Unit 756 in Utah?
- Unit 756 (San Rafael, South) covers about 1,361 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,200 to 7,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 756?
- Approximately 95% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, Utah State Parks (Goblin Valley), private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 756?
- Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 756 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.