The James Peak Wilderness is a
U.S. Wilderness Area
The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...
in north 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 t ...
in the
Arapaho
The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota.
By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
and
Roosevelt
Roosevelt may refer to:
*Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president
* Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president
Businesses and organisations
* Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation)
* Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank
* Rooseve ...
national forests. The wilderness area borders
Indian Peaks Wilderness
The Indian Peaks Wilderness is a wilderness area in north central Colorado managed jointly by the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service within the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and small parts of the southern sectio ...
to the north and the James Peak Protection Area to the west.
Geography
The wilderness area encompasses immediately east of the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
in
Gilpin County
Gilpin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado, smallest in land area behind only the City and County of Broomfield. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,808. The county seat is Central City. The county was formed in 18 ...
and
Clear Creek County
Clear Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,397. The county seat is Georgetown.
Clear Creek County is part of the Denver metropolitan area.
History
Clear Creek County wa ...
. The wilderness is named after its second tallest mountain,
James Peak
James Peak is a high mountain summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,294 foot thirteener is located on the Continental Divide in the James Peak Wilderness of Arapaho National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest ...
. Within its boundaries are 30 miles (48 km) of trails.
Parry Peak is the highest peak in the James Peak Wilderness, at .
History
The wilderness was established by H.R.1576 in the
107th Congress
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
(2001). James Peak was named after Edwin James, pioneer and botanist. Originally
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest ...
was named James Peak prior to Pike's exploration journey. After the renaming to Pikes Peak, the current James Peak was named.
References
{{Authority control
Protected areas of Clear Creek County, Colorado
Protected areas of Gilpin County, Colorado
IUCN Category Ib
Wilderness areas of Colorado
Protected areas established in 2001
Arapaho National Forest
Roosevelt National Forest
2001 establishments in Colorado