Summary  |  Colorado Wilderness Facts  |  Why CCCWP Areas Deserve Protection   |  History of the CCCWP  |  Colorado Wilderness Inventory  |  Ecological Values of the CCCWP  |  FAQ

Colorado Wilderness Facts

• About 3.3 million acres of largely National Forest land has been designated as wilderness in Colorado since passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964.

• Designated wilderness in Colorado amounts to apprximately 5% of the land area of the state.

• The first wilderness areas designated in Colorado were the Maroon Bells-Snowmass, La Garita, Mount Zirkel, Rawah, and West Elk Wildernesses, as part of original 1964 Wilderness Act.

• The most recent area designated in Colorado was the 14,000-acre James Peak Wilderness, in 2002

• The biggest wilderness area in Colorado is the Weminuche Wilderness, at 488,210 acres

• The smallest wilderness area in Colorado is the Byers Peak Wilderness, at 8,095 acres

• The highest elevation wilderness area in Colorado is the Mount Massive Wilderness, home to Colorado's second-highest peak of the same name (14,421 feet)

• The lowest-elevation wilderness are in Colorado is the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, 4,700 feet along the Colorado River

Colorado Wilderness Statistics - 2006

• Colorado currently has 41 designated wilderness areas, totaling 3.4 million acres (5% of the state)

• Approximately 22% of Forest Service land and 9% of National Park Service land in Colorado are protected as wilderness.

• Several areas of BLM land were designated in 1993, 1999, and 2000 wilderness bills, but this still amounts to less than 2% of BLM's land in the state.

• If all of the areas in the Citizens' Wilderness Proposal are designated as wilderness, it would amount to only 18% of BLM land as wilderness, with another 1% of Forest Service land added as part of adjacent BLM wildernesses. The CWP additions would result in 7% of Colorado's land area receiving Congressional protection as wilderness.

> Map of all Citizens' Proposed Wilderness areas in Colorado

Acreage Comparison

> Table of CWP areas and BLM Wilderness Study Areas -- Alphabetical

> Table of CWP areas and BLM Wilderness Study Areas -- By Regional Field Office

Success Stories

> Read about recent Wilderness Designation

Print version of Colorado Wilderness Facts (pdf) »

For more information:

Department of Interior

Colorado Bureau of Land Management

Wilderness.net

The Wilderness Society -- About Wilderness

Summary  |  Colorado Wilderness Facts  |  Why CCCWP Areas Deserve Protection   |  History of the CCCWP

Colorado Wilderness Inventory  |  Ecological Values of the Wilderness Proposal  |  FAQ