Mount Sneffels Wilderness, Colorado

Located in the Uncompahgre National Forest, the Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area encompasses 16,565 acres of land and has elevations ranging from 9,600 to 14,150 feet. The area has fifteen miles of hiking trails. Designed in 1980, many feel that the Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area is Colorado's most majestic and picturesque wilderness areas.

The Colorado towns of Ridgeway, Ouray, Camp Bird, and Telluride are near to the Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area. The Wilderness is filled with sheer, knife-edge like ridges and rugged craggy peaks. While the peaks and serrated ridges are incomparably dramatic, this area offers relatively little in the way of biological diversity, because the vast majority of the wilderness consists of largely vertical rock and ice slopes. The many serrated peaks of the area create areas of difficult climbs, and even today, rock climbers continue to find new climbing routes. Loose volcanic rock makes many of the climbs downright dangerous, so prospective climbers should come well prepared with helmets and technical equipment.

The only lakes in the area are the Blue Lakes, which can be found on the western side of Mount Sneffels. For the most part, the Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area is extremely rugged and thus, seldom explored.