Unit 68

La Garita Peak, Storm King Mountain, and Table Mountain dominate the skyline and serve as excellent glassing points and navigation anchors. The passes—Cochetopa, Carnero, and Moon Pass—funnel game movement and offer strategic vantage points. Several high parks (Long Park, South Park, Round Park, Royal Park) concentrate game in accessible terrain.

Chimney Rock and Devils Knob are distinctive navigation markers. The major drainages—Benito Creek, Lake Fork, Twin Peaks Creek—carve the unit's internal geography and provide water corridors. These creeks and springs become critical during seasons when higher water sources are scarce.

This unit is essentially a high-elevation island—almost entirely above 7,500 feet with most terrain climbing well above 9,500 feet into true alpine country. Vegetation transitions from scattered ponderosa and spruce-fir forests in the lower basins to open alpine meadows, tundra, and rockfields at the peaks. The rolling topography creates distinct habitat zones: forested valleys and parks at middle elevations give way to sparse timber and krummholz near treeline, then open ridges and summits.

Expect significant seasonal variation—early season finds game in high parks, late season pushes animals into forested lower basins where water persists.

With 587 miles of roads and fair accessibility, the unit sees distributed pressure rather than concentrated hotspots. Roads follow drainages and access the lower parks, but much of the upper basin terrain requires foot travel. The Continental Divide and high passes create natural barriers that limit casual access to the western portions.

Most hunters concentrate near roads in the lower-elevation parks and creek bottoms. The rolling, complex terrain and high elevation mean that hunters willing to climb into the upper basins encounter significantly less pressure. Road-accessible parks fill quickly during rifle seasons; escape routes into higher terrain remain lightly hunted.

Unit 68 occupies the heart of Saguache County's high country, anchored by the La Garita Mountains. Colorado 114 forms the northern boundary, U.S. 285 runs along the east side, and the Continental Divide marks the western edge. Southern boundaries follow Forest Service roads, trails, and the Saguache-Mineral County line.

La Garita, a small town north of the unit, serves as the primary reference point. The unit is large and encompasses some of Colorado's most rugged, high-elevation terrain. Adjacent units and the San Isabel National Forest dominate the landscape.

Water is the limiting factor in this unit. Most reliable sources cluster in the creek bottoms: Benito Creek, Lake Fork, Twin Peaks Creek, and Deep Creek are perennial but may run low late season. Springs are scattered—Russell Springs, Hat Springs, Big Dry Gulch Spring, and others exist but require knowledge of exact locations.

High alpine lakes (Benito Lake, Machin Lake, Laguna Hilda) hold water but freeze early and provide limited season access. The numerous parks and flats historically held beaver ponds and seepage areas, though reliability varies annually. Early season hunters enjoy abundant water; late season demands creek or spring knowledge.

Unit 68 holds elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer with seasonal availability, plus pronghorn in lower areas and moose in scattered high basins. Early season elk hunting targets high parks and meadows where animals summer; focus on Benito, Lake Fork, and Twin Peaks drainages. September rut activity concentrates in accessible parks and timbered edges.

Late season forces elk into forested lower basins and creek bottoms where they find water and shelter from weather. Mule deer prefer high meadows and ridgetops early, moving to forested slopes and draws late season. The complexity of this terrain rewards hunters who scout water sources, identify game trails between parks, and understand how elevation funnels movement during weather events.

Glassing from the major summits early and late in the day works well here.