Uncompahgre National Forest

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Uncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres (1,492.55 sq mi, or 3,865.68 km²) ^[1] in (in descending order of land area) parts of Montrose, Mesa, San Miguel, Ouray, Gunnison, San Juan, and Delta Counties in western Colorado. (Only its headquarters is in Delta County, in the city of Delta.) It borders San Juan National Forest to the south.

Within the national forest boundaries can be found the arid Uncompahgre Plateau and the northern portion of the San Juan Mountains. The forest contains three alpine wilderness areas, Uncompahgre (formally the Big Blue), Mount Sneffels and Lizard Head.

The Uncompahgre National Forest is managed jointly with the Grand Mesa and Gunnison National Forests headquarted in Delta. There are local ranger district offices located in Montrose and Norwood.

[edit] Recreation

The varied climate, sparse population, and abundance of sun make Uncompahgre National Forest popular with jeepers, atv'ers, sight seers, and hikers. Probably the most common recreational activity within the Forest boundaries is scenic driving, thanks in part to the Million Dollar Highway.

There are several dirt roads within the Uncompahgre; some are old mining roads left over from the 1800s gold rush, others are occasionally used by the Forest Service. Paved roads are of course more popular, including the San Juan Skyway, Alpine Loop, Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway, and Owl Creek Pass, which is gravel.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (USDA Forest Service)
• GORP
• GORP list of campgrounds

v • d • e Protected Areas of the State of Colorado Federal National Parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Great Sand Dunes • Mesa Verde • Rocky Mountain National Monuments: Canyons of the Ancients • Colorado • Dinosaur • Florissant Fossil Beds • Hovenweep • Yucca House National Historic Sites: Bent's Old Fort • Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Trails: Old Spanish Trail • Pony Express Trail • Santa Fe Trail National Recreation Areas: Arapaho • Curecanti National Conservation Areas: Gunnison Gorge • McInnis Canyons National Wildlife Refuges: Alamosa • Arapaho • Baca • Browns Park • Monte Vista • Rocky Mountain Arsenal • Two Ponds National Forests: Arapaho • Grand Mesa • Gunnison • Pike • Rio Grande • Roosevelt • Routt • San Isabel • San Juan • Uncompahgre • White River National Grasslands: Comanche • Pawnee National Wilderness: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Black Ridge Canyons • Buffalo Peaks • Byers Peak • Cache La Poudre • Collegiate Peaks • Comanche Peak • Eagles Nest • Flat Tops • Fossil Ridge • Great Sand Dunes • Greenhorn Mountain • Gunnison Gorge • Holy Cross • Hunter-Fryingpan • Indian Peaks • James Peak • La Garita • Lizard Head • Lost Creek • Maroon Bells-Snowmass • Mesa Verde • Mount Evans • Mount Massive • Mount Sneffels • Mount Zirkel • Neota • Never Summer • Platte River • Powderhorn • Ptarmigan Peak • Raggeds • Rawah • Sangre de Cristo • Sarvis Creek • South San Juan • Spanish Peaks • Uncompahgre • Vasquez Peak • Weminuche • West Elk National Scenic Trail: Continental Divide Trail State State Parks: Arkansas Headwaters • Barr Lake • Bonny Lake • Boyd Lake • Castlewood Canyon • Chatfield • Cherry Creek • Cheyenne Mountain • Crawford • Eldorado Canyon • Eleven Mile • Golden Gate Canyon • Harvey Gap • Highline Lake • Jackson Lake • James M. Robb - Colorado River • John Martin Reservoir • Lake Pueblo • Lathrop • Lone Mesa • Lory • Mancos • Mueller • Navajo • North Sterling • Paonia • Pearl Lake • Ridgway • Rifle Falls • Rifle Gap • Roxborough • San Luis • Spinney Mountain • St. Vrain • Stagecoach • State Forest • Staunton • Steamboat Lake • Sweitzer Lake • Sylvan Lake • Trinidad Lake • Vega • Yampa River State Forest: Colorado State Forest State History: Byers-Evans House • Colorado History Museum • El Pueblo • Fort Garland • Fort Vasquez • Georgetown Loop • Healy House and Dexter Cabin • Pearce-McAllister Cottage • Pike Stockade • Trinidad • Ute Indian Museum Other National Historic Landmarks: Beaver Meadows • Burlington Carousel • Black Hawk • Central City • Colorado Chautauqua • Cripple Creek • Durango-Silverton Railroad • Georgetown • Granada • Leadville • Lindenmeier Site • Lowry Ruin • Mesa Verde • Pikes Peak • Pike's Stockade • Raton Pass • Shenandoah-Dives Mill • Silver Plume • Silverton • Telluride • U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Area National and Regional Trails: American Discovery Trail • Colorado Trail • Continental Divide Trail • Great Divide Trail • Kokopelli's Trail • Paradox Trail • Tabeguache Trail Scenic and Historic Byways: Alpine Loop • Cache la Poudre-North Park • Colorado River Headwaters • Dinosaur Diamond • Flat Tops • Frontier Pathways • Gold Belt • Grand Mesa • Guanella Pass • Highway of Legends • Lariat Loop • Los Caminos Antiguos • Mount Evans • Pawnee Pioneer • Peak to Peak • San Juan Skyway • Santa Fe Trail • Silver Thread • South Platte River Trail • Top of the Rockies • Trail of the Ancients • Trail Ridge • Unaweep/Tabeguache • West Elk Loop Colorado Department of Natural Resources (web)

v • d • e The Million Dollar Highway Passes Coal Bank Pass • Molas Pass • Red Mountain Pass Towns Durango • Silverton • Ouray National Forests San Juan National Forest • Uncompahgre National Forest Other Uncompahgre Gorge • San Juan Skyway