Why You Should Visit    
More than 80 percent of Colorado's wildlife depends on rivers and riverside habitat. The San Miguel, one of the few remaining naturally functioning rivers of the West, supports some of the best riparian (streamside) habitat in the Upper Colorado Basin.

Natural flood cycles and a history of very limited development have kept many parts of this river in pristine condition, much as they would have appeared before the state was settled.

You can explore a dramatic, narrow canyon with red-rock sandstone walls looming as high as 2,000 feet. A discerning eye might see nesting American dippers (water ouzels) along the canyon walls. In its depths, a very rare riparian forest community combines narrowleaf cottonwood, Colorado blue spruce and thinleaf alder. 

Location
Southwestern Colorado: In San Miguel County, near Telluride - near the upper end of the San Miguel River Canyon, about four miles downstream from Placerville.

When to Visit
Year-round, dawn to dusk

Size
279 acres, including two miles of the San Miguel River and adjacent riparian areas

What to Expect
No well-established trails, but foot traffic is allowed.

Consider rafting, canoeing or kayaking the river to get a different perspective. The preserve doesn't contain any put-ins or take-outs, but these can be found upstream and downstream.

Fishing
Catch-and-release permitted, but only with artificial flies and lures.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
To make the most of your trip, consider visiting the two other Nature Conservancy preserves along the San Miguel: Tabeguache Creek and South Fork.

Directions
From Telluride:

• Take Hwy 145 N to Placerville.
• Turn Left on 145 towards Norwood. Continue for 4 miles until you see the Canyon Preserve sign on the Left. Park at any turn-out for the next two miles.

From Montrose:

• Take Hwy 550 south to Ridgway. 
• Turn right onto Hwy 62 west at the light.Continue for about 20 miles; pass the turnoff for Telluride
• Look for mile marker 87, and then a small Canyon Preserve sign is on the left
• Park anywhere along the preserve for the next two miles.

What to See: Plants
Rare riparian forest combining narrowleaf cottonwood, Colorado blue spruce and thinleaf alder. 

What to See: Animals

• Beaver
• Black bear
• Elk
• Mink
• Mountain lion
• Mule deer
• Peregrine falcon
• Porcupine
• River otter

Why The Conservancy Selected This Site
Because it supports one of the best known examples of the globally-rare narrowleaf cottonwood-Colorado blue spruce/thinleaf alder riparian plant community.

What The Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
With three preserves and cooperative projects with the Bureau of Land Management and other partners, The Conservancy has helped protect more than 30 miles of the San Miguel River.