San Isabel National Forest is located in central
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53
fourteeners
In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United States, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least . The 96 fourteeners in the United States are all west of the Mississippi River. Colorado has the most (53) of any sing ...
, peaks over high, including
Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado.
It is one of eleven national forests in the state of Colorado and contains the
Sawatch Range, the
Collegiate Peaks, and
Sangre de Cristo Range
, country= United States
, subdivision1= Colorado
, subdivision2_type= Counties
, subdivision2=
, parent= Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Rocky Mountains
, borders_on=
, geology=
, age=
, orogeny= Fault-block mountains
, area_mi2= ...
. It has a total area of 1,120,233 acres (1,750.36 sq mi, or 4,533.42 km²) spread out over parts of eleven counties in central Colorado. In descending order of land area it is located in
Chaffee,
Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, ...
,
Lake,
Huerfano,
Fremont,
Pueblo,
Saguache,
Las Animas,
Park,
Costilla, and
Summit counties.
Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County
- United States Forest Service - September 30, 2007
San Isabel National Forest is co-managed by the Forest Service together with Pike National Forest, Cimarron National Grassland
Cimarron National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Morton County, Kansas, United States, with a very small part extending eastward into Stevens County. Cimarron National Grassland is located near Comanche National Grassland which i ...
, and Comanche National Grassland
Comanche National Grassland is a National Grassland located in southeastern Colorado, United States. It is the sister grassland of Cimarron National Grassland and contains both prairie grasslands and canyons. It is separated into two section ...
from offices in Pueblo. There are local ranger district offices located in Cañon City
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...
, Leadville
The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...
, and Salida.
Wilderness areas
There are seven officially designated wilderness areas lying within San Isabel National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Four of them extend into neighboring National Forests, and of these, one also onto land under management of the National Park Service. Another one extends onto land of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with ot ...
(as indicated).
* Buffalo Peaks Wilderness
The Buffalo Peaks Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and Pike National Forests in central Colorado. The wilderness was named after two highly eroded volcanic mountains, East Buffalo Peak and West Buffalo Peak, in the Mo ...
(mostly in Pike NF)
* Collegiate Peaks Wilderness (partly in Gunnison NF; partly in White River NF)
* Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness
* Holy Cross Wilderness
The Holy Cross Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and White River national forests near Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Vail, Colorado. The wilderness with of trails was established in 1980. The wild ...
(mostly in White River NF)
* Mount Massive Wilderness (partly in Leadville National Fish Hatchery)
* Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is a long and narrow wilderness area covering of the Sangre de Cristo Range centered about Saguache and Custer counties, Colorado. Smaller areas are located in Fremont, Alamosa, and Huerfano counties. The wilde ...
(partly in Rio Grande NF; partly in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to tall on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in south- ...
)
* Spanish Peaks Wilderness
The Spanish Peaks Wilderness is a wilderness area in Huerfano County and Las Animas County, Colorado, United States, located southwest of Walsenburg. All of the wilderness area is located within San Isabel National Forest, which is managed by t ...
References
External links
Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands
(United States Forest Service)
{{Authority control
National Forests of Colorado
National Forests of the Rocky Mountains
Protected areas established in 1902
Protected areas of Chaffee County, Colorado
Protected areas of Custer County, Colorado
Protected areas of Lake County, Colorado
Protected areas of Huerfano County, Colorado
Protected areas of Fremont County, Colorado
Protected areas of Pueblo County, Colorado
Protected areas of Saguache County, Colorado
Protected areas of Las Animas County, Colorado
Protected areas of Park County, Colorado
Protected areas of Costilla County, Colorado
Protected areas of Summit County, Colorado