Outdoors and wildfire - Western Slope
The Dolores River Canyon is public land with its own rules
Below McPhee Dam the Dolores River cuts a deep canyon on BLM-managed public land that includes a wilderness study area, and how you can use it is set by the agency, not by general access.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 11, 2026
Downstream of McPhee Dam, the Dolores River drops into a long, deep canyon. A stretch of it is a wilderness study area on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. That is a real designation, not just scenery, and it shapes what you can do there.
Public land is not the same as land with no rules. On BLM ground, and especially inside a wilderness study area, the agency decides how the place is used: where you can drive, whether motorized travel is allowed, how camping works, and what river running involves. The river’s flow also depends on releases from the dam, so a trip that works one week may not the next.
For someone living nearby, this is the calm version of the story: the canyon is open to enjoy, but it rewards checking first. A quick look at the managing office tells you the current access points, any seasonal limits, and the rules for floating or camping, so a day out matches what the land actually allows.
Before you plan a trip into the Dolores River Canyon, check current access and rules with the BLM Tres Rios Field Office.