The Mount Massive Wilderness is a federally 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 ...
in the
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 "Saguac ...
, located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...
. It is operated jointly by the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
and the
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 othe ...
as part of the
San Isabel National Forest and the
Leadville National Fish Hatchery. It is in size, with in San Isabel National Forest and in Leadville National Fish Hatchery, and it was designated by the
US Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
in 1980. The name comes from
Mount Massive, the second highest peak in Colorado, located inside the wilderness. Elevations in the wilderness range from to . It is the only federally designated wilderness area within the
National Fish Hatchery System
The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) was established by the U.S. Congress in 1871 through the creation of a U.S. Commissioner for Fish and Fisheries. This system of fish hatcheries is now administered by the Fisheries Program of the U.S. Fis ...
.
On the west side, the
Continental Divide separates the Mount Massive Wilderness from the
Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness, part of the
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. 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 twelv ...
.
Trailheads accessing the wilderness are:
* Hagerman Pass Road – The Colorado Trail, Native Lake and Windsor Lake Trailhead
* US Fish Hatchery – The Rock Creek Trailhead
* Halfmoon Creek Trailhead – Mt. Elbert/Mt. Massive Trailhead and the North Halfmoon Lake Trailhead
Regulations/Prohibitions
* Having more than 15 persons in any one group
* Having more than a combination of 25 people and pack or saddle animals in any one stock group
* Possessing dogs, except for working stock dogs, or dogs used for legal hunting purposes, unless under physical restraint of a leash.
* Camping within one hundred feet of developed trails.
* Building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire, within 100 feet of lakes, streams and forest development trails.
* Hitching, hobbling or tethering any pack or saddle animal within one hundred (100) feet of lakes, streams and forest development trails.
* Short-cutting a switchback on a forest development trail.
References
Further reading
Maps:
* San Isabel National Forest Map
* Trails Illustrated Independence Pass and Holy Cross maps
*
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
Homestake, Mount Massive, and Mount Champion quadrangles
External links
Mount Massive Wilderness: Forest Service official siteMount Massive Wilderness on TopoQuest
Protected areas of Lake County, Colorado
Wilderness areas of Colorado
Protected areas established in 1980
San Isabel National Forest
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