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Begin your virtual tour of Rio Blanco County by clicking on any of the above entry points,
and follow roads or trails through a network of linked images.
Rio Blanco County bears the Spanish name of the White River which flows through it. Fed by streams flowing out of the Flat Top Mountains, on the county's eastern end, the White River flows westward past Meeker and Rangely (the only two towns in the county) and eventually joins the Green River. The Uintah Basin reaches into the northwestern corner of the county, and the rugged desert terrain gradually rises from there to the east and south, with high mountains rimming the south and eastern boundaries. The land is carved up by many canyons, and rocky outcroppings and small cliffs are common. Sagebrush and junipers are the predominant vegetation.
A large oil and gas field at Rangely provides for jobs and industry in the area.
Rio Blanco County was organized on March 25, 1889 with its county seat at Meeker. It covers 3,223 square miles. The major highway through the county is Colorado Highway 64, which starts at Dinosaur, just outside the northwest corner of the county, and travels generally eastward through Rangely and Meeker. From Rangely to Meeker it parallels the Rio Blanco River. State Highway 139 begins at Rangely and ascends Canyon Pintado to Douglas Pass. State Highway 13 traverses the center of the county from north to south, passing through Meeker.
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