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Lone Mesa State Park: where and how to hunt
State park in Dolores County covering 11,780 acres.
Photo: Lars Plougmann (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Lone Mesa State Park
Facts on file for Lone Mesa State Park
By the count in the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure, there are 11,780 acres at Lone Mesa State Park. Of 31 state parks with hunting listed here, Lone Mesa State Park ranks 5th for size. Wildlife officers for Lone Mesa State Park work out of Area 15, Southwest Region; district: Dolores.
On the game list: Deer, Elk, Black bear, Wild turkey, Big game.
From the agency page, 2026 Recreation Lands brochure, p. 63 (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Lone Mesa State Park
Lone Mesa State Park game management units
Lone Mesa State Park lies in 1 game management unit: GMU 711.
Point restriction for bulls: GMU 711. Selected rifle elk hunt codes in GMU 711 require a free CWD test of harvested elk. Mountain lion harvest-limit group 16 covers these units. GMU 711: lynx recovery area.
The 2024 GMU harvest tables below are unit totals, not counts for Lone Mesa State Park; GMU 711 had the largest figure, 366 elk.
GMU overlay from the CPW Big Game GMU layer; unit rules from the 2026 Big Game brochure; 2024 elk harvest by GMU, 2024 deer harvest by GMU, 2024 pronghorn harvest by GMU, 2024 bear harvest by GMU; checked November 5, 2026.
Before you walk onto Lone Mesa State Park
Expect to show a daily or annual park pass at Lone Mesa State Park. The park regulations (#100.b.3) confine hunting to posted, designated ground in season.
From the 2026 park regulations:
- During any authorized big game hunting season, any lawful method of hunting deer, elk, and bear may be used in areas not posted as prohibiting such use in Lone Mesa State Park. Only hunters who possess a valid Lone Mesa State Park hunting permit are permitted to hunt.
- Hunting is permitted in the spring only in accordance with parts (1) through (3) (1) Individuals must hold a TM000U1R turkey license. (2) Vehicles involved in hunting use of the park are required to have a valid Colorado State Parks Pass, unless the vehicle displays a Disabled Veteran license plate or Purple Heart license plate. (3) Only established roads and parking area defined on the Lone Mesa hunting map may be used. Game retrieval roads are excluded from the spring season and are only for use in the fall big game seasons.
From the agency source, 2026 State Park Land and Water Regulations; checked November 5, 2026.
Big game dates that apply on Lone Mesa State Park
Big game hunters on Lone Mesa State Park can choose from 26 dated windows, each tied to a hunt code. Over-the-counter rows (7) cover black bear, elk and wild turkey; the rest need a drawn or leftover license. 11 private-land-only, Ranching for Wildlife or game damage rows for the same units are left out because they do not apply on public ground. Spring turkey dates shown are from 2026; the 2027 brochure is not out.
| Animal | Method | Sex | License | Start | End | Valid in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Archery | bull | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Archery | cow | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | bull | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Second rifle | bull | OTC | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Third rifle | bull | OTC | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 711 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 711 |
| Deer | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 711 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 711 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 711 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Archery | either sex | OTC | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Rifle | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | either sex | OTC | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 711 |
| Black bear | Rifle | either sex | OTC | Oct 14, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 711 |
| Mountain lion | All methods | – | Group harvest limit | Nov 23, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 711 |
| Wild turkey | Spring | – | OTC | Apr 11, 2026 | May 31, 2026 | 711 |
| Wild turkey | Fall | – | OTC | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | 711 |
Season rows and hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; property access dates still apply; checked November 5, 2026.
What lies near Lone Mesa State Park on the map
The list below starts with South Mountain STL, 6 miles away to the north. Six neighbours, by kind: 3 trust land parcels and 3 SWAs. Off limits to hunting close by: Groundhog Reservoir State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting), Twin Spruce Ponds State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting) and Woods Lake State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting).
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Mountain STL | State trust land | 640 | Dolores | 6 miles | north |
| Disappointment Creek STL | State trust land | 640 | Dolores | 11 miles | northwest |
| Jim Olterman – Lone Cone SWA | SWA | 5,030 | Dolores | 11 miles | northeast |
| Mckenna Peak STL | State trust land | 640 | San Miguel | 12 miles | north |
| Fish Creek SWA | SWA | 314 | Dolores | 13 miles | east |
| Lone Dome SWA | SWA | 1,724 | Montezuma | 15 miles | southwest |
Point: CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
Route and map files for Lone Mesa State Park
The pin sits at 37.7343, -108.4591.
point from CPW Managed Properties (public access only) layer, CPWAdminData (1 polygon) (polygon centroid); checked November 5, 2026.
Shooting-light table for Lone Mesa State Park
The sun rises about twenty minutes later at Grand Junction than at Burlington, so use the times worked out for Lone Mesa State Park.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game | Birds and small game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:44 a.m. | 7:44 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 8:14 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:44 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:52 a.m. | 7:29 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:59 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:29 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:10 a.m. | 6:56 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 6:56 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Second rifle opens | 7:30 a.m. | 6:26 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 6:56 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 6:26 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 7:02 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:25 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure and the Small Game and Waterfowl brochure; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); checked November 5, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Where to fuel up and buy ice near Lone Mesa State Park
Gas, groceries and a motel bed: Dolores is the nearest, 18 miles away. Cortez tops the list for size, 9,151 people. Closest CPW office: Durango, 47 miles.
| Nearest towns | County | Population | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores | Montezuma | 937 | 18 miles | south |
| Dove Creek | Dolores | 663 | 25 miles | west |
| Cortez | Montezuma | 9,151 | 27 miles | south |
| Norwood | San Miguel | 523 | 29 miles | north |
| Redvale | Montrose | – | 31 miles | north |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); CPW offices from the CPW Contact Us page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 5, 2026.
Lone Mesa State Park country in pictures
Lone Mesa State Park hunters: public range plus clubs
For a no-dues line, Lone Mesa State Park hunters head 54 miles to Bayfield Lions Club Shooting Range. After the public range come the nearest clubs within 30 miles.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Lone Mesa State Park in brief, question by question
What counties does Lone Mesa State Park reach into?
Inside Dolores County.
How many acres are listed for Lone Mesa State Park in the agency count?
11,780 acres on the agency count.
Which seasons matter on Lone Mesa State Park?
Agency sources name deer, elk, black bear, wild turkey and big game.
Which unit should my license be for on Lone Mesa State Park?
GMU 711; GMU lines follow roads and ridges, so check the map near a line.
Are there antler point restrictions on Lone Mesa State Park?
Bulls must meet the antler point rule in GMU 711. If your rifle elk code is selected, test the elk (free) when it comes from GMU 711.
Can I buy an elk license over the counter for Lone Mesa State Park?
Only for some hunts. 2 OTC elk rows reach these GMUs, second rifle among them (OTC).
Who looks after wildlife on Lone Mesa State Park?
Reach CPW Durango Office in Durango, (970) 247-0855 (47 miles away).
Which town makes the best base for Lone Mesa State Park?
Dolores, about 18 miles away in a straight line.
May I use food lures for bear on Lone Mesa State Park?
No. Food-scented sticks are illegal for bear, and knowingly luring bears with food breaks C.R.S. 33-6-131.
Does the orange rule apply on Lone Mesa State Park?
Required for firearm big game; mesh is legal, camouflage orange is not.
Is any hunting on Lone Mesa State Park by draw or reservation?
State park entrance pass required (daily vehicle pass or annual pass). Parks regulation #100.b.3: hunting is allowed only in areas designated by the Division during hunting seasons. Park-specific hunting rules: During any authorized big game hunting season, any lawful method of hunting deer, elk, an
How early may a rifle hunter shoot on Lone Mesa State Park?
For deer and elk, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 after sunset; around Dolores County on November 7, 2026 about 6:15 a.m. to 5:41 p.m.
What documents must I carry on Lone Mesa State Park?
Pay park entry (daily or annual pass) and carry your hunting license.
Which official page should I bookmark for Lone Mesa State Park?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes it: official page.
Lone Mesa State Park: double-check list
Saw poaching on Lone Mesa State Park? CPW's Turn In Poachers program rewards reports that lead to charges with licenses and preference points.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Checked November 5, 2026.
Other photos on this page: James St. John (CC BY 2.0); Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).