CO – Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, Bridgeport Trailhead (05/22)

This area has been on my list for a few years, but for this Goldilocks the window of opportunity is short due to extreme temperatures. When a cold wet storm moved into a large portion of the state, it created a perfect spring opportunity to explore this wilderness. Dominguez Canyon Wilderness represents 66,280 acres of the 210,172 held by the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.

As an added incentive, my favorite hiking companion, Joan, was available to join me.

We began our hike from the Bridgeport Trailhead, which is well signed on a decent road with two fairly large parking areas.

We were hiking the Dominguez Canyon Trail. The first section of the trail is day use only. Wag bags are required in the canyon. There were a couple of rangers as trailhead hosts the day we arrived, and they were providing extra education about LNT.

“Pack out all waste” to me means trash. I wouldn’t have known it meant human waste!

The trail initially follows, then crosses railroad tracks, while also paralleling the mighty Gunnison River.

Soon we found ourselves in the wilderness proper, paralleling Big Dominguez Creek.

We found plenty of reasons to stop and stare at the big and the little.

When we arrived these Colorado Four O’Clocks (Mirabilis Multiflora) weren’t in bloom. When we left they were showcasing their beauty.

I was thrilled to have a few sightings of collared lizards.

This poor guy was cold and warming up, thus why it looks sickly.

What kind of butterfly will you become? Interesting there was one very lethargic, almost dead, at our campsite. It never moved the entire evening but it was gone in the morning.