USFS · Colorado

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

With eight "fourteeners" (peaks exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation), Collegiate Peaks Wilderness probably possesses the highest average elevation of any Wilderness in the Lower 48. You can climb Mounts Yale, Oxford, Columbia, and Harvard (the state's third highest point), as well as Huron Peak, Missouri Mountain, Mount Belford, and La Plata Peak (the state's fifth highest point). Climbing these peaks is a very popular activity, making opportunities for solitude very elusive. Expect to be inundated by people and their dogs on any "fourteener" trail. More than a dozen trailheads create a situation in which no one ever stands more than five miles from a road.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness165,874 acresUSFSCODesignated 198030 campgrounds within 10 mi11 Forest Service sites56 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
4 fires
active
Willow · 18 mi from the center · 7,359 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size165,874 acres
Designated1980, by Congress
Center point38.97° N, 106.49° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Collegiate Peaks Wilderness10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.44 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.57 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.70 inches of precipitationApril: 0.83 inches of precipitationMay: 0.92 inches of precipitationJune: 0.72 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.67 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.56 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.13 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.82 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.46 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.49 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.4°F averageFebruary: 20.0°F averageMarch: 27.3°F averageApril: 33.8°F averageMay: 43.7°F averageJune: 53.1°F averageJuly: 58.6°F averageAugust: 56.5°F averageSeptember: 49.9°F averageOctober: 39.9°F averageNovember: 29.5°F averageDecember: 20.7°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Twin Lakes Rsvr, 11 miles from the center point at 9,236 feet, station USC00058501 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year. The station sits about 2,300 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 30 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · under 0.1 mi
Portal Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Lincoln Creek Dispersed Campground
First-comeCO
FS · 0.1 mi
Lost Man Campground
First-come10 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Collegiate Peaks
Reservable56 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Lincoln Gulch Campground
First-come7 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Weller Campground
First-come11 sites
FS · 0.2 mi
Difficult Campground
Reservable48 sites
FS · 0.4 mi
Dorchester Campground
First-comeCO
Show 4 more

18 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 11

The Forest Service lists 11 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 6 mountain Climbings, 3 day hikings, 1 trailhead, 1 fishing. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 11

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

56 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 498 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Colorado ↗193.8
CDNST ↗91.7
CDNST ↗31
Timberline ↗30.4
Pine Creek ↗11.3
CDNST - Prospector Gulch ↗7.3
Missouri Gulch ↗7
Texas Creek ↗6.3
Horn Fork Basin ↗5.4
Kroenke Lake ↗5.2

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Willow

    18 mi from the center point · 7,359 acres · 92% contained

  • Prescribed
    North Trout Creek Rx

    24 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    North Endor Piles Rx

    31 mi from the center point · 5 acres

  • Prescribed
    Co Fire Camp Rx

    33 mi from the center point

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 44 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Colorado's Western Slope
    Bill Haggerty, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Dog Hikes Colorado
    Emma Walker, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Colorado Springs
    Stewart M. Green, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best wildflower hikes Colorado
    Chris Kassar, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best hikes Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness
    Kent Dannen, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Collegiate Peaks Wilderness?

165,874 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Collegiate Peaks Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in?

Colorado.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Collegiate Peaks Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1980.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Collegiate Peaks Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Collegiate Peaks Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.974° N, 106.494° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near Collegiate Peaks Wilderness right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Willow at 18 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Collegiate Peaks Wilderness?

The National Register has 44 listings within 15 miles, including Ashcroft, Colorado and Pine Hall.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.