Unit 501 is a Chaffee County subunit covering portions of the Sawatch Range—the high country between Buena Vista and Salida with elevations from about 7,500 feet in the Arkansas valley to over 14,000 feet on Mount Antero (14,269), Mount Shavano (14,229), and Tabeguache Peak. The terrain is the classic Sawatch profile: sagebrush and ponderosa pine on the lower valley benches, aspen groves and Douglas fir on the mid-slopes, dense subalpine spruce-fir on the higher reaches, and alpine tundra with rocky cirques and talus slopes above 11,500 feet treeline. Mount Antero is famous for its aquamarine and topaz mineral specimens—a real factor in summer recreation pressure. The Arkansas River corridor below is heavily developed; the high country above is a mix of wilderness and motorized FS-road access. Bighorn sheep work the high crags above Mount Princeton Hot Springs and Antero; elk and mule deer hold the timbered benches and meadow systems; black bear is good in the lower oakbrush. San Isabel National Forest covers the high country with the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness on the western flank (motorized prohibited—boots and horses only above the boundary). US-24 runs north-south through the Arkansas valley between Buena Vista and Salida; FS roads climb west into the high country—the Mount Antero road is famous for its rough 4WD ascent toward 13,800 feet. Buena Vista and Salida are the supply towns and both have full services—gas, motels, processors, gear shops. Cell service is reliable in the valley and gone past the trailheads. Recreation pressure is heavy along the easier-accessed FS roads becuase the country is photogenic and accessible; hunters who pack into the wilderness still find quality bulls.