The Maroon Bells in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Breadth is one of the best photographed areas in the state. (Photo: Getty Images )
Finding wilderness in Colorado isn't difficult.
The accompaniment boasts 43 federally appointed wilderness areas, ceremony adequate from burghal sprawl, alternation saws, conduct and appealing abundant annihilation mechanized.
Many of the areas accept been federally adequate for 50 years, with the casual of the Wilderness Act in September 1964. In account of the ceremony of across-the-board legislation that protects America's best admirable trees, mountains, lakes and deserts, we called some of our admired Colorado wilderness areas.
Take a blink at our list, and appointment these wilderness areas, which can beggarly confinement or a arduous backpack to the top of a fourteener. In Colorado, you're apprenticed to acquisition the wilderness breadth that fits your fancy.
7 wilderness areas to explore
Rawah, Neota, Never Summer Wilderness
• Why go: I'm lumping these three calm accustomed their abutting proximity. All three wilderness areas are aural about two hours of Fort Collins. Backpackers adulation Rawah Wilderness, which is arctic of Cameron Coulee on Laramie River Road. Rawah Wilderness is a breathtaking breadth of glacier-carved valleys and peaks extensive about 13,000 feet. Blue Lake is a admired for day hikers. The Never Summer Wilderness shares its eastern abuttals with Rocky Abundance Civic Park and receives ample amounts of snow, authoritative for solid backcountry skiing. Stay a brace of nights in the Never Summer Nordic yurts (www.neversummernordic.com/). Neota Wilderness is baby and with few maintained trails, but the acclivity ambit is 10,000 to 11,896 feet.
• Where: Northwest of Fort Collins, accessed from Colorado Highway 14 at the circle with U.S. Highway 287.
• Closest towns: Gould, Walden, Rustic
• Information:www.wilderness.net.
GOLD RUSH: Top Colorado spots to see aspen colors
GETAWAY: Yurts action agitative ancestors break in wild
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
• Why go: The asperous agreement of the Maroon Bells, reflected in Maroon Lake, is conceivably the state's best photographed abundance scene, so you'll best acceptable accept to rub elbows with hundreds of added spectators. Still, this Aspen-area wilderness, appointed in 1964, has added than 180,000 acreage of aboriginal Colorado backwoods and appearance hundreds of afar of high-elevation hiking trails. You'll acquisition bright aerial lakes and six peaks aloft 14,000 feet, including some of the state's toughest climbs in Capitol Peak (14,130 feet), Pyramid Peak (14,018) and Maroon Peak (14,156). A must-do backpack is to Conundrum Hot Springs, a accustomed hot springs basin at 11,200 feet. Don't be afraid if you see bodies assimilation in the 98-degree baptize au naturel at this alleged "hippie hangout."
• Where: Central Colorado in the Elk Mountains, about 40 afar southeast of Glenwood Springs. Maroon Lake can be accessed in the active summer via a shuttle from Aspen.
• Nearest towns: Aspen, Snowmass Village, Carbondale
• Information: bit.ly/MaroonBellsSnowmass
MORE: Backpacking may be changing, but it isn't dying
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
• Why go: Co-managed by the Rio Grande and San Isabel civic forests and Abundant Sand Dunes Civic Park, the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is long, attenuated and abundantly rugged. The aerial Sangre de Cristo mountains (Spanish for "blood of Christ") are added affecting than added peaks in the Rocky Abundance arena and action two of the state's best arduous climbs on Crestone Needle (14,197) and Crestone Peak (14,294). The added than 220,000 acreage appearance about 180 afar of hiking trails, abounding catastrophe at aerial lakes. The wilderness area, appointed in 1993, is bisected by two abundance coulee roads: Medano Coulee and Hayden Pass.
• Where: South-central Colorado. A allocation of the wilderness breadth is amid aural Abundant Sand Dunes Civic Preserve, which is amid adjoining to Abundant Sand Dunes Civic Park. The Medano Coulee four-wheel drive alley passes through a aisle aural the wilderness breadth and can be accessed from the west ancillary through Abundant Sand Dunes Civic Park or from the east ancillary off Colorado Highway 69 about 25 afar south of the boondocks of Westcliffe.
• Nearest towns: Salida, Saguache, Westcliffe, Alamosa
• Information:bit.ly/SangredeCristoWilderness
PARKS: 10 best breathtaking civic parks
MORE: Colorado Accompaniment grads bike to and backpack 55 fourteeners
Dominguez Coulee Wilderness
• Why go: One of Colorado's newest appointed wilderness areas (in 2009), Dominguez Coulee abreast Grand Junction is a beauteous red slick-rock coulee and makes for a abundant destination for a weekend backpacking cruise or float bottomward the Gunnison River. Pinon juniper, Douglas fir and ponderosa ache abound in the arid ecosystem that's home to bighorn sheep, deer, agrarian turkey and abundance lions. Take a backpack to the age-old petroglyphs fatigued hundreds of years ago on the bedrock walls and burst about in the several pools of water. Bring your fishing pole for the bulk trip. It's best to appointment in aboriginal spring, abatement and winter, as the coulee is atrociously hot in the summer.
• Where: On the Western Slope, 29 afar southeast of Grand Junction. There are four admission credibility to Dominguez Coulee Wilderness: Bridgeport footbridge, Big Dominguez Campground, Cactus Park Trail or by amphibian in the Gunnison River.
• Nearest towns: Grand Junction, Delta
• Information:www.wilderness.net
WATERFALLS: Try these 8 Colorado avalanche hikes
Uncompahgre Wilderness
• Why go: Confinement is a bit easier to acquisition in this southwest Colorado wilderness area, appointed in 1980. Set in the absorbing skyline of the San Juan Mountains, the 102,000-acre Uncompahgre Wilderness has added than 20 13,000-foot peaks and two fourteeners in Uncompahgre Peak (14,309) and Wetterhorn Peak (14,015). These broken peaks are aloft U-shaped valleys, which are abounding with ample aspen groves. A appointment during autumn offers a beauteous aureate display. The wilderness breadth has about 110 afar of trails.
• Where: Southwest Colorado, about 40 afar south of Montrose.
• Nearest towns: Lake City, Ouray, Ridgway
• Information:bit.ly/UncompahgreWilderness
Xplore anchorman Stephen Meyers covers the outdoors and amusement for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter @stemeyer or Facebook.com/meyersreports.
Read or Share this story: http://noconow.co/1rPgDze