James Peak Wilderness | |
---|---|
Location | Gilpin / Clear Creek counties, Colorado, USA |
Nearest city | Black Hawk, CO |
Coordinates | 39°51′08″N105°41′24″W / 39.85222°N 105.69000°W Coordinates: 39°51′08″N105°41′24″W / 39.85222°N 105.69000°W |
Area | 17,015 acres (68.86 km2) |
Established | 2002 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The James Peak Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in north central Colorado in the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests. The wilderness area borders Indian Peaks Wilderness to the north and the James Peak Protection Area to the west. [1]
The wilderness area encompasses 17,015 acres (69 km2) immediately east of the Continental Divide in Gilpin County and Clear Creek County. The wilderness is named after its second tallest mountain, 13,294-foot (4,052 m) James Peak. Within its boundaries are 30 miles (48 km) of trails. Parry Peak is the highest peak in the James Peak Wilderness, at 13,391 feet (4,082 m). [2]
The wilderness was established by H.R.1576 in the 107th Congress (2001). James Peak was named after Edwin James, pioneer and botanist. Originally Pikes Peak was named James Peak prior to Pike's exploration journey. After the renaming to Pikes Peak, the current James Peak was named. [3]
Mount Columbia is a high mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,077-foot (4,291 m) fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 9.9 miles (16.0 km) northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The mountain was named in honor of Columbia University in the City of New York and in commemoration of its rowing victory at the renowned Henley Royal Regatta in 1878.
Mount Massive is the second-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent 14,428-foot (4,398 m) fourteener of the Sawatch Range is located in the Mount Massive Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) west-southwest of the City of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado, United States. Mount Massive edges out the third-highest summit of the Rockies, Mount Harvard, by 7 feet (2.1 m), but falls short of Mount Elbert by 12 feet (3.7 m). It ranks as the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert.
Mount Evans is the highest peak in the namesake Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,271-foot fourteener is located 13.4 miles (21.6 km) southwest by south of Idaho Springs in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide between Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest.
Mount Bierstadt is a 14,065-foot-high (4,287 m) mountain summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The fourteener is located in the Mount Evans Wilderness of Pike National Forest, 9.4 miles (15.1 km) south by east of the Town of Georgetown in Clear Creek County. It was named in honor of Albert Bierstadt, an American landscape painter who made the first recorded summit of the mountain in 1863.
Arapaho National Forest is a National Forest located in north-central Colorado, United States. The facility is managed jointly with the Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland from the United States Forest Service office in Fort Collins, Colorado. It has a wildlife refuge which manages a protection for all birds and mammals. The combined facility of 1,730,603 acres (7,004 km2) is denoted as ARP by the Forest Service. Separately, Arapaho National Forest consists of 723,744 acres (2,929 km2).
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a 168,000-acre (680 km2) area located in central Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista to the east and Aspen to the west and Crested Butte to the southwest. Most of the area is in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests, with a smaller area in the White River National Forest southeast of Aspen. Most of the area is in northwest Chaffee County with smaller portions in Gunnison, Pitkin, and Lake counties.
The Lost Creek Wilderness is a 119,790-acre (485 km2) wilderness area located in central Colorado in Jefferson and Park counties south of the town of Bailey. The area is situated entirely within the boundaries of the Pike National Forest.
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twelve ski areas within its boundaries.
Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is the official title to a U.S. Forest Service managed area extending over 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2) in the states of Wyoming and Colorado, United States. What were once three separate areas, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, and Thunder Basin National Grassland were administratively combined in 1995 due to similarity of the resources, proximity to each other and for administrative purposes.
The Pike National Forest is located in the Front Range of Colorado, United States, west of Colorado Springs including Pikes Peak. The forest encompasses 1,106,604 acres (4,478 km2) within Clear Creek, Teller, Park, Jefferson, Douglas and El Paso counties. The major rivers draining the forest are the South Platte and Fountain Creek. Rampart Reservoir is a large artificial body of water located within the forest.
The Spanish Peaks Wilderness is a 19,226 acres (77.80 km2) wilderness area in Huerfano County and Las Animas County, Colorado, United States, located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Walsenburg. All of the wilderness area is located within San Isabel National Forest, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. The Weminuche Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1975, and expanded by the Colorado Wilderness Acts of 1980 and 1993. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town of Silverton, 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Durango, and 8 miles (13 km) west of South Fork. At 499,771 acres (2,022.50 km2), it is the largest wilderness area in the state of Colorado. Elevation in the wilderness ranges from 7,700 feet (2,300 m) along the Animas River to 14,093 feet (4,296 m) at the summit of Windom Peak.
James Peak is a high mountain summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,300-foot (4,054 m) thirteener is located on the Continental Divide in the James Peak Wilderness of Arapaho National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) east-southeast of the Town of Winter Park, Colorado, United States. The summit is the tripoint of Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Grand counties. The peak is the highest point in Gilpin County and the James Peak Wilderness.
The Mount Evans Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest about 30 miles (48 km) west of Denver, Colorado. The wilderness area is named after Mount Evans.
The Buffalo Peaks Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and Pike National Forests in central Colorado. The 43,410-acre (175.7 km2) wilderness was named after two highly eroded volcanic mountains, East Buffalo Peak and West Buffalo Peak, in the Mosquito Range and was established in 1993. The wilderness contains Colorado's largest herd of bighorn sheep.
The Byers Peak Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in Arapaho National Forest in north central Colorado. The 8,913-acre (36.07 km2) wilderness was established in 1993 and named after its highest point, Byers Peak. Byers Peak was named after William N. Byers, the first mayor of Hot Sulphur Springs and the founder of Colorado's first newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News. The wilderness contains two glacial lakes, two peaks over 12,500 feet (3,800 m), and 23 miles (37 km) of trails.
The Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Elk Mountains of central Colorado. The 181,535-acre (734.65 km2) wilderness was established in 1980 in the Gunnison and White River national forests. Within its boundaries are 100 miles (160 km) of trails, 6 of Colorado's fourteeners and 9 passes over 12,000 feet (3,700 m). The wilderness is named after the two peaks known as the Maroon Bells as well as Snowmass Mountain.
Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot (4,302.31 m) fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base.
Badger Mountain is a mountain summit in the South Park Hills of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 11,295-foot (3,443 m) peak is located in Pike National Forest, 9.6 miles (15.5 km) northwest by west of the community of Lake George in Park County, Colorado, United States.
Bison Peak is the highest summit of the Tarryall Mountains range in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Officially designated Bison Mountain, the prominent 12,432-foot (3,789 m) peak is located in the Lost Creek Wilderness of Pike National Forest, 8.1 miles (13.1 km) north by west of the community of Tarryall in Park County, Colorado, United States. The summit is the highest point in the Lost Creek Wilderness.