Located in the Arapaho and Pike National Forests in Colorado

Congressionally designated in 1980, this 74,300 acre area is located 40 miles southwest of Denver. The wilderness is contained in two National Forests: the 40,300 acre northern half is in Arapaho National Forest and the 34,100 acre southern half is in Pike National Forest.

Accessing the wilderness from the north, the Mount Evans Scenic Byway (Colorado 5) forms a nonwilderness corridor into the center of the wilderness area.

Elevations in the wilderness range from 8,400 to over 14,000 feet. The area is dominated by 14,264 foot Mount Evans and 14,060 foot Mount Bierstadt. About half of the wilderness area is above timber line. The alpine area is characterized by broad expanses of treeless alpine tundra, edged at its lower elevations by krummholz habitat formed of wind-etched and deformed spruce and fir along with stands of bristlecone pine. Broad, thick stands of spruce-fir and lodgepole pine stretch out into the lower valleys.

The shape of the area is influenced heavily by alpine glaciation. Surrounding the peaks are deep, steeply faced glacial cirques often holding alpine lakes. Broad U-shaped glacial valleys drop away from the peaks into hummocky, moraine covered valley bottoms, followed by narrow V-shaped canyons.

Principal wildlife species include bighorn sheep, mountain goat, elk, marmot, ptarmigan, and grouse.

For approaches and routes to the summit of Mount Evans, see "Climbing Colorado's Fourteeners."

For more information contact: The Arapaho or Pike National Forests