The West Elk 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 ...

located northwest of Gunnison,

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

West Elk Mountains The West Elk Mountains are a high mountain range in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Colorado. They lie primarily within the Gunnison National Forest, and part of the range is protected as the West Elk Wilderness. The range is primarily l ...

History

The wilderness was established in 1964 and now protects within the Gunnison National Forest.

Geography

Elevations in the wilderness range from along Coal Creek to at the summit of West Elk Peak. The area supports large

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

and deer populations and is busiest during the fall hunting season.

References

West Elk Mountains Protected areas of Gunnison County, Colorado Gunnison National Forest 1964 establishments in Colorado Wilderness areas of Colorado Protected areas established in 1964 {{Colorado-protected-area-stub