Rio Grande SWA: hunting rules and access

Rio Grande SWA is 935 acres of State Wildlife Area in Rio Grande County, Colorado, in game management unit 791. CPW lists deer, dove, rabbit and waterfowl for it, and its rules for the property run to 9 lines: 4 on its page for the property and 5 in its regulations.

A State Wildlife Area has its own rules on top of the statewide season rules. How the kinds of public land differ.

What CPW lists for hunting here

Deer, Dove, Rabbit, Waterfowl.

Fishing, as CPW lists it: Fishing Opportunities, Coldwater Stream.

A species on this list is one CPW names for the property. It still needs an open season, the right license for the unit, and nothing in the restrictions below against it on your dates.

Who may enter

A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing this state wildlife area.

Restrictions on CPW's page for this property

• A. Open July 16-Feb. 14. Hiking, horseback riding, and dogs kept under control on leash by handler allowed on established roads. Area Wildlife Manager may authorize access during closure if it won't harm nesting or wintering birds.
• B. Camping during waterfowl hunting seasons by licensed waterfowl hunters in parking areas with toilet facilities.
• C. July 16-Feb. 14, non-motorized vessels lawfully floating through property may portage around Centennial Ditch diversion.
• D. Area Wildlife Manager may post closures to manage hunting pressure and safety during waterfowl seasons.

In CPW's regulations

• a. Public access is prohibited from February 15 through July 15. The Area Wildlife Manager may authorize access during this closure if the proposed access will not adversely impact nesting or wintering bird populations.
• b. From July 16 through February 14, hiking, horseback riding, and dogs kept under control on a physical leash by the handler are allowed on established roads.
• c. From July 16 through February 14, non-motorized vessels lawfully floating through this property may portage around the Centennial Ditch diversion.
• d. The Area Wildlife Manager may post area specific closures to manage waterfowl hunting pressure during established waterfowl seasons, to protect maintenance and construction equipment and to protect human health and safety.
• e. Camping is allowed during waterfowl hunting seasons by licensed waterfowl hunters in those parking areas with toilet facilities.

From CPW regulations, chapter W-9 (Wildlife Properties), 2 CCR 406-9, dated July 16, 2026.

Read it at the source before you go

The rules above are CPW's words, copied from CPW's page for Rio Grande SWA as it read on October 8, 2026 and from the regulations for CPW properties. CPW can change them or close the property at any time, signs on the ground count, and a rule that names a season moves with that season each year.

Unit 791, around Rio Grande SWA

• Elk in unit 791, 2024: 163 hunters in all seasons took 57 elk, 35% success (2023: 46% from 96 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 148 hunters, 38%. Unit 791 elk by season
• Deer in unit 791, 2024: 19 hunters in all seasons took 15 deer, 79% success (2023: 75% from 20 hunters). The rifle seasons alone: 19 hunters, 79%. Unit 791 deer by season
• Unit 791: 409 square miles in Alamosa, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache Counties, 0% national forest and 0.1% BLM land, from 7,500 to 7,800 feet.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife survey estimates for the whole unit, private land included. They are not figures for this property, and whether elk or deer may be hunted here is in CPW's list above.

2026 elk and deer rifle hunt codes for unit 791

A code valid in the unit is not permission to hunt this property: the property's own list and restrictions decide that. Legal light is half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset at the coordinates above, on the Colorado clock; the state's printed table is the rule. Archery, muzzleloader, late and private-land codes are on the unit pages: unit 791 elk, unit 791 deer.

Nearest CPW properties to Rio Grande SWA

Straight-line miles between the middles of the boundaries CPW maps, not road miles. A property can be much nearer at its edge.

All 721 State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands