The wild horse range north of Grand Junction

Northeast of Grand Junction, between the city and De Beque, a stretch of canyon-and-plateau country is set aside for an unusual purpose: it is home to wild horses, protected by federal law.

The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It traces to the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the law that made it the federal government’s job to protect free-roaming horses on public land. The BLM describes this as one of only a few areas in the country designated specifically to protect wild horses. The herd here shows a wide range of colors, from palominos and paints to roans and blacks, and the range has trails open for hiking, riding, and wildlife viewing.

Why care: it explains why a band of horses can roam free so close to a city, and why the BLM manages the herd’s size and the land’s water and forage. It is a real, durable part of how public land works here, not a private ranch.

Conditions, herd numbers, and access can change. For how the range is managed and how to visit it responsibly, see the Bureau of Land Management’s official pages.