The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness consists of 75,580 acres on the northwest flank of the Uncompahgre Plateau. It is located 2 miles southwest of Fruita in Mesa County, Colorado with approximately 5,200 acres of the Wilderness extending into Grand County, Utah. The Wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation based on outstanding scenery, landscape variety, geologic features, and cultural and paleontological resources. The area’s topographic diversity appeals mainly to hikers, but unique phenomena, such as the vast alcove in Mee Canyon and arches in Rattlesnake Canyon enhance all recreational experiences. Photo by the Bureau of Land Management.