Rough Canyon

Location:    Mesa County
Size:   2695 acres
Designated:   May 1989
Land Manager:   Bureau of Land Management

Rough Canyon cuts across the flank of a large faulted monocline, and the structural complexity exposed in the canyon provides clues to the history of the Uncompahgre Uplift.   The canyon also supports populations of the rare plants Astragalus linifolius (Grand Junction milkvetch) and Lomatium eastwoodiae (Eastwood's desertparsley).   Pools sheltered under the vertical canyon walls contain populations of the canyon tree frog (Hyla arenicolor).