Irish Canyon is a valley in Moffat County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, at 6,099 feet in elevation according to the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS). The

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

states the elevation in the valley rises from 6,100 to 8,636 feet. It is a scenic and somewhat remote canyon. It is designated both as the Irish Canyon Natural Area and the Irish Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern.

Designated areas

Designated as a

natural area A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, Irish Canyon is owned by the United States federal government and is managed by the

and the State Land Board. Irish Canyon Natural Area is significant for its geology and plant communities. It has also been designated an

Area of Critical Environmental Concern Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is a conservation ecology program in the Western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ACEC program was conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FL ...

(ACEC) due to its plant species, unique geology, scenery, and cultural resources. The eastern end of the

Uinta Mountains The Uinta Mountains ( ) are an east-west trending chain of mountains in northeastern Utah extending slightly into southern Wyoming in the United States. As a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the con ...

has 22 geological formations, 12 of which can be found in Irish Canyon. There are steep canyon walls, no more than 50 yards wide, with green, gray, and red layers.

History

Petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s made by prehistoric peoples are located at the south entrance to the canyon, where there is a short hiking trail. An interpretive exhibit explains the petroglyphs. There are other unmarked archaeological and cultural sites in the canyon.

Browns Park Brown's Park or Browns Park, originally called Brown's Hole, is an isolated mountain valley along the Green River in Moffat County, Colorado and Daggett County, Utah in the United States. The valley begins in far eastern Utah, approximately dow ...

was a place of refuge for outlaws like

Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West. Parker engaged in crimina ...

Isom Dart Isam Dart (1858–October 3, 1900), also known as Isom, was a cattle driver, rancher, and horse and cattle rustler during the late 19th century in the American frontier, Wild West. He settled in Browns Park in northwestern Colorado, where he was c ...

, and

Matt Warner Matt Warner (1864 – December 21, 1938) was a notable figure from the American Old West who was a farmer, cowboy, rancher, ferryman, cattle rustler, bank robber, justice of the peace, lawman, and Rum-running, bootlegger. Born Erastus Christianse ...

at the turn of the 20th century.

Camping and hiking

There are no developed trails, but hiking is available at Cold Spring Mountain and

Limestone Ridge Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when th ...

to the west and in the badlands along

Vermillion Creek Vermillion Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 18, 2011 tributary of the Green River. It flows south from Sweetwater County, Wyoming to a confluence with the ...

and Vermillion Canyon. There are mountain biking areas at Cold Spring Mountain and other areas in the region. Six camping sites, with fire pits and a pit toilet, are located in the north area of the canyon.

References

{{Protected areas of Colorado Landforms of Moffat County, Colorado Protected areas of Moffat County, Colorado