Unit S27

The Tarryall Mountains themselves are the dominant landmark—North and South Tarryall Peaks anchor the range and serve as primary navigation and glassing reference points. China Wall offers distinctive ridge visibility. Several high meadows—Lost Park, High Park, McCurdy Park—provide natural staging areas and glassing platforms.

Hankins Pass and Wilkerson Pass cut through the ridge system and guide travel. Key springs include Porcupine, Mud, and Rees Springs; locating these is essential for water strategy at elevation. Sugarloaf Mountain, Bison Mountain, and Bradley Peak mark other prominent summits useful for orientation.

Field Creek, Lost Creek, and Beaver Dam Creek drain major valleys and offer navigation corridors.

The unit spans a 5,000-foot elevation range, from lower transition zones near 7,400 feet to windswept peaks exceeding 12,400 feet. Most productive sheep habitat sits above 10,000 feet where alpine tundra and exposed ridgelines dominate. Below that, dense conifer forests—primarily Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir—blanket the slopes and drainages.

Scattered parks and meadows (McCurdy, High Park, Lost Park, Wigwam, Webber, Burns) break the timber at mid to upper elevations, providing sheep grazing and glassing vantage points. The terrain transitions from forested slopes to barren rock and lichen-covered talus as elevation increases, creating clear elevation-defined habitat bands.

437 miles of roads provide substantial access for a unit of this terrain type, though road density varies significantly. Lost Park Road (USFS 56) provides major north-side access; Matukat Road (USFS 211) enters from the east near U.S. 24. Lower elevation approaches via Park County roads connect from the south and west. The extensive road network distributes pressure across multiple entry points, but steep terrain and dense timber funnel hunters into specific drainages.

Tarryall townsite area serves as a logical base. The rolling, forested slopes between parks require significant foot travel to reach high country, which naturally filters effort to committed hunters. Early season pressure tends to concentrate on accessible ridge saddles and open parks.

S27 occupies the Tarryall Mountains area between U.S. 285 on the west and U.S. 24 on the east, with Park CR 56 and Lost Park Road forming the northern boundary and the South Platte River anchoring the southern limit. The unit spans Park and Jefferson Counties in Colorado's Front Range backcountry, roughly 60 miles southwest of Denver. Surrounded by public land with scattered private parcels at lower elevations, the unit is moderately sized but rugged terrain makes it feel expansive.

The Tarryall Range forms the spine of the unit, creating natural north-south travel corridors and defining ridge systems that frame hunting approach.

Water is the limiting factor in S27. Reliable sources above treeline are sparse; Porcupine Spring, Mud Spring, and Rees Spring are critical waypoints that concentrate hunting effort. Below timberline, Field Creek, Lost Creek, Beaver Dam Creek, and Sand Creek provide more consistent flow, but sheep hunting focuses on high country where water access dictates where animals can range. The South Platte River marks the southern boundary but sits below prime sheep habitat.

Several irrigation ditches (Krebill, Farnum, Hay Creek) indicate historical water development but are unreliable for hunter use. Late-season hunting success depends on understanding spring locations and daily water movement of sheep.

S27 is exclusively mountain sheep habitat—bighorn sheep thrive in the high-country alpine and subalpine terrain above 10,000 feet. Success depends on glassing high ridges and parks with quality optics from distance, identifying sheep on distant slopes, then executing precise stalks through timbered terrain and talus. Early season (September) offers open parks for spotting and cooler conditions for climbing; mid-season transitions sheep between seasonal ranges.

Elevation and complexity require excellent physical conditioning and navigation skills. Water locations dictate where to glass and hunt—sheep must drink, so springs concentrate animals. Expect to cover significant distance, hunt high and long, and accept that much of your time involves glassing rather than stalking.

The Tarryall Mountains' rolling terrain creates pockets of escape cover that sheep use effectively.