Narraguinnep Natural Area

Narraguinnep Natural Area is a 2,922 acre natural area in Dolores County, Colorado that is owned by the United States Forest Service. It was designated a natural area in 1980. The Colorado Natural Area includes Narraguinnep Canyon,^[2] which is located within Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest^[3][4] and extends southwest into Montezuma County, Colorado.^[5] It is near the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.^[6]

Narraguinnep Natural Area
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)^[1]
Location within Colorado Show map of Colorado Location within United States Show map of the United States
Location	Dolores County, Colorado
Nearest city	Cortez, Colorado
Coordinates	37°41′24″N 108°39′49″W / 37.69000°N 108.66361°W / 37.69000; -108.66361
Area	2,922 acres (11.82 km^2)
Established	1962
Governing body	United States Forest Service

Oakbrush, juniper, and pinon and ponderosa pine trees grow in the natural area.^[4] In 2009, a wildfire burned most of the natural area. Since then, Gambel oak thickets have returned in the main area. The old-growth pine, located in the northwest corner of the natural area, was not damaged during the fire.^[2]

The Domínguez–Escalante expedition (1776) passed through the Dolores area and then east of present-day Cahone and Dove Creek during their expedition. While in the area, they took a siesta in an arroyo, which may have been in Narraguinnep Canyon.^[7]

See also

• Fort Narraguinnep - a defensive site constructed after the Beaver Creek Massacre (June 19, 1885)

References

1. Protected Area Profile for Narraguinnep Research Natural Area from the World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved May 10 2023.
2. "Colorado Natural Areas". cpw.maps.arcgis.com. p. III-54. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
3. "Narraguinnep Canyon, Dolores County - Feature ID 176636". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
4. Draft environmental impact statement for the San Juan National Forest land and resource management plan : Archuleta, San Juan, La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, Mineral, Hinsdale, Conejos, San Miguel and Rio Grande Counties, Colorado. Durango, Colo. : The Service. 1982.
5. "Narraguinnep Canyon, Montezuma County - Feature ID 178781". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
6. Bitler, Teresa (2012). Backroads & byways of Indian country : drives, daytrips and weekend excursions. Woodstock, VT : Countryman Press ; New York, NY : Distributed by W. W. Norton. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-88150-957-1.
7. Domínguez, Francisco Atanasio (1977). The Domíniguez-Escalante journal : their expedition through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in 1776. Provo, UT : Brigham Young University Press.