WCCC Property

Since the inception of WCCC in 2007, attention has been focused on Mesa County’s unique granite cliffs in Unaweep Canyon. The canyon is a highlight of the Unaweep-Tabeguache Historic and Scenic Byway on Highway 141, between Whitewater and Gateway. The 500-foot-tall rock faces are a dramatic and challenging draw.  Climbers who frequent the Unaweep crags are from Grand Junction and across the Western Slope, the Roaring Fork, the Front Range, Utah, and Wyoming.

The steep walls of Unaweep have been specifically identified by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. The primary conservation values include sage and piñon/juniper zones on pristine lands, a breathtaking view of the crags from the Scenic Byway, and an important recreational opportunity on the trails and cliffs. The cliffs have been the location of beginner classes, guide trainings, outdoor recreation courses, and cutting-edge route development for many decades.

Unlike most climbing areas in the West, the cliffs of Unaweep Canyon are primarily located on private property or are “land-locked” by private property, and access to the cliffs requires crossing private land; over the years, climbers and hikers have legally accessed these natural areas only by rare permission of existing land owners, by climbers purchasing the parcels and by climbing organizations acquiring the real estate. 

Most of the prime cliffs of Unaweep have been secured for free and open access in perpetuity. Shortly after its inception in 2007, WCCC partnered with a private party, John and Marti Peterson, to secure the crag known as Upper Mothers Buttress.   WCCC next partnered with Access Fund, the nation’s preeminent land conservation organization for climbers, which first secured several crags in Unaweep in the 1990s. WCCC now holds title to the following crags: Sunday Wall, Hidden Valley, Fortress Wall, portions of TV Wall, and Upper and Lower Mothers Buttresses. Additionally, Access Fund holds permanent conservation easements of all WCCC properties.

Interested in Guiding on WCCC Property?

All commercial and organizational use of properties owned by WCCC requires prior authorization by WCCC. Learn more here.