McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area
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The 123,400 acre (499 km²) McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (MCNCA), located west of Grand Junction, Colorado, is a collage of natural wonders featuring rugged sandstone canyons, natural arches, spires, and alcoves carved into the Colorado Plateau, through which runs a 24 mile stretch of the Colorado River. Included in the MCNCA are 75,500 acres (306 km²) of wilderness designated as the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness (BRCW) with 5,200 acres (21 km²) extending into eastern Utah at the MCNCA's western boundary.
The MCNCA was officially designated on October 24, 2000, when the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area and Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Act of 2000 became Public Law 106-353. The NCA was renamed after Congressman Scott McInnis on January 1, 2005.
McInnis Canyons NCA offers a broad variety of resources and recreation opportunities resulting in users with diverse interests, including hiking, biking, float boating, off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, horseback riding, hunting, wildlife watching, backpacking, camping, and grazing resources; as well as world-renowned geological, paleontological and scientific sites.
