White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest

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 ...

. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twelve ski areas within its boundaries. The forest contains 2,285,970

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

s (3,571.8 sq mi, or 9,250.99 km²). In descending order of land area it is located in parts of

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, Pitkin,

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

, Rio Blanco,

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

, Gunnison, Routt, and

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...

counties. The White River National Forest provides significant habitat for deer, elk, mountain sheep, mountain goat, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, lynx, moose, raptors, waterfowl, trout and many other species of wildlife. The forest contains 1,900 mi. (3,058 km) of forest system roads, 2,500 mi (4,023 km) of trails, and the

Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) * Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer *Viscount Dillon, a title in the Peerage of Ireland Places Canada *Dillon, Saskatchewan United States *Dillon Beach, Californi ...

, Green Mountain, Ruedi, and Homestake reservoirs. The forest is managed from Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs. There are local

ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

district offices in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

, Carbondale,

, Meeker, Minturn,

Rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

, and Silverthorne. The Dillon Ranger district, run out of Silverthorne, was transferred from the Arapahoe National Forest to the White River National Forest in 1998.The Virtual Dillon Ranger District
Retrieved June 16, 2018.

Wilderness areas

There are eight officially designated

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

s lying within White River National Forest that are part of the

National Wilderness Preservation System 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 ...

. Five of them extend into neighboring National Forests (as indicated). *

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a area located in central Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista to the east and Aspen to the west and Crested Butte to the southwest. Most of the area is in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests, wi ...

(the largest part in San Isabel NF; also partly in Gunnison NF) *

Eagles Nest Wilderness The Eagles Nest Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Gore Range near Vail, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Heeney, in Summit and Eagle Counties, Colorado. Eagles Nest Wilderness falls within the jurisdiction of Dillo ...

Flat Tops Wilderness Flat Tops Wilderness Area is the second largest U.S. Wilderness Area in Colorado. It is , with in Routt National Forest and in White River National Forest. It was designated a wilderness area in 1975. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the ...

(partly in Routt NF) (considered by some accounts the birthplace of the U.S. Wilderness Area system) * Holy Cross Wilderness (partly in San Isabel NF) * Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness *

Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness The Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Elk Mountains of central Colorado. The wilderness was established in 1980 in the Gunnison and White River national forests. Within its boundaries are of trails, ...

(partly in Gunnison NF) *

Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness The Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located north of Dillion, Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mounta ...

Raggeds Wilderness The Raggeds Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Elk Mountains (Colorado), Elk Mountains northwest of Crested Butte, Colorado, Crested Butte, Colorado. The wilderness was established in 1980 in the White River National Forest, Whit ...

(mostly in Gunnison NF)

Ski areas

The following ski areas are located inside the forest: *

Arapahoe Basin Arapahoe Basin ( ; often shortened to A-Basin, or simply The Basin) is an alpine ski area in the Rocky Mountains of the United States, in the Arapaho National Forest of Colorado. Arapahoe Basin is known for its extended season—usually staying op ...

* Aspen Mountain *

Aspen Highlands Aspen Highlands is a skiing mountain in Aspen, Colorado. It is famous for the Highland Bowl, which provides what some people consider some of the most intense, wild, and fun skiing in the state. The Aspen Skiing Company operates Aspen Highlands. ...

* Beaver Creek * Breckenridge *

Buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...

* Copper Mountain *

Ski Cooper Ski Cooper is an alpine ski resort in Colorado, one of the oldest in the state. Opened as Cooper Hill Ski Area in 1942, the ski area served as the training site for the 10th Mountain Division, based at nearby Camp Hale during World War II. The ...

(divided between WRNF and San Isabel National Forest) * Keystone * Snowmass *

Sunlight Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...

Fourteeners

There are ten peaks with an elevation higher than 14,000 ft (4,267m), colloquially known as 14ers in the forest: * Castle Peak 14,279 ft. (4,352 m),

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are va ...

, Elk Mountains *

Grays Peak Grays Peak is the tenth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent fourteener is the highest summit of the Front Range and the highest point on the Continental Divide and the Conti ...

14,278 ft (4,352 m),

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountere ...

(bisected by White River National Forest and

Arapahoe National Forest Arapaho National Forest is a National Forest located in north-central Colorado, United States. The region is managed jointly with the Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland from the United States Forest Service office in F ...

boundary) *

Torreys Peak Torreys Peak is a mountain in the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is one of 53 fourteeners in Colorado. Its nearest major city is Denver. Torreys Peak is located along the Continental Divide, as well as the division b ...

14,274 ft (4,351 m), Front Range (also divided between WRNF and Arapahoe National Forest) *

Quandary Peak Quandary Peak is the highest summit of the Tenmile Range in the Rocky Mountains of North America and is the most commonly climbed fourteener in Colorado. It has nearly the same elevation as Castle Peak and Mount Evans. It lies in Summit County ...

, 14,271 ft (4,350 m)

Tenmile Range The Tenmile Range is a mountain range in U.S. state of Colorado. The range is an extension of the Mosquito Range which is part of the Rocky Mountains. The two ranges are effectively the same range. They are split only by the Continental Divide a ...

* Capitol Peak 14,137 ft. (4,309 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains * Maroon Peak, the higher of the two Maroon Bells summits, 14,163 ft (4,317 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains *

Snowmass Mountain Snowmass Mountain is a mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado, and the thirty-fourth highest mountain peak in the state. Located in the Elk Mountains within the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of the White River National Forest, it lies along ...

14,099 ft (4,297 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains * Pyramid Peak 14,025 ft (4,275 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains * Mount of the Holy Cross 14,011 ft. (4,271 m), Holy Cross Wilderness,

Sawatch Range The Sawatch Range or Saguache RangeThe place name "Saguache” is pronounced “Sawatch” . This name derives from the Ute language noun "''sawup''" meaning "sand dunes" and is spelled using the Spanish language version of this name "Saguach ...

The following two peaks are often included in lists of the Colorado fourteeners, but do not pass the 300 ft.

topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...

metric commonly used by U.S. Mountaineers: *

North Maroon Peak North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, the lower of the two Maroon Bells Summits 14,019 ft. (4,273 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains *

Conundrum Peak Conundrum may refer to: * A riddle, whose answer is or involves a pun or unexpected twist, in particular ** Riddle joke, a riddle that constitutes a set-up to the humorous punch line of a joke * A logical postulation that evades resolution, an in ...

, a neighboring summit of Castle Peak, 14,040 ft. (4279 m), Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Elk Mountains

References

"White River has 70 Streams and 110 lakes for fish," June 10, 1937. (Colorado Historic Collection) Aspen Daily Times. "Recreation in the Forest ." March 1, 1945 (Colorado Historic Collection) Axelton, John . Big Game Hunters Guide to Colorado. second ed. : Wilderness Adventures Press, 2008. (Google Books) Forest Plan Focus, White River National Forest, August 1997. S.l.: s.n., 1997. (Google Books) Graves, Henry S.. Vacation days in Colorado's national forests. Washington: G.P.O., 1919.(Google Books) N.p., n.d. Web. .

External links

White River National Forest
(United States Forest Service) {{Authority control Protected areas of Eagle County, Colorado Protected areas of Garfield County, Colorado National Forests of Colorado National Forests of the Rocky Mountains Protected areas of Pitkin County, Colorado Protected areas on the Colorado River Protected areas of Rio Blanco County, Colorado Protected areas of Mesa County, Colorado Protected areas established in 1902 1902 establishments in Colorado

Wilderness areas

Ski areas

Fourteeners

See also

References

External links