Comanche Peak Wilderness
The 70 miles of trails that wind through this Wilderness begin flanked in ponderosa pine and aspen, and then pass through a thick forest of lodgepole and limber pine. From the trails, the Wilderness appears to be nothing but trees until the forest gives way to abundant alpine tundra along the southern boundary near Comanche Peak. Beyond Comanche to the south, lies Rocky Mountain National Park. The Cache la Poudre River tumbles over cascades or runs quietly in pools for over 10 miles to the north and west. The rugged Mummy Range (of which Comanche Peak is a part), combined with the river, forms one of the state's most serpentine Wilderness boundaries.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 68,025 acres |
| Designated | 1980, by Congress |
| Center point | 40.58° N, 105.67° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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
None of the 19 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.
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7 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
26 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 154 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek ↗ | 24.8 | |
| Flowers ↗ | 18.7 | |
| Big South ↗ | 10.8 | |
| Lookout Mountain ↗ | 8.4 | |
| Zimmerman ↗ | 8.3 | |
| Upper Dadd Gulch ↗ | 7.2 | |
| Little Beaver ↗ | 7 | |
| Fish Creek ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Browns Lake ↗ | 5.9 | |
| Emmaline Lake ↗ | 5.8 |
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
- PrescribedSalt Cabin Broadcast Rx
9 mi from the center point
- PrescribedMagic Feather Broadcast Rx
13 mi from the center point
- PrescribedFront Country Broadcast Rx
16 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
- 5.3 miRocky Mountain National Park Administration Building ↗National Historic Landmark
- 1.2 miArrowhead Lodge ↗Bellvue, CO
- 2.7 miWind Ridge ↗Estes Park, CO
- 4 miPark Theatre ↗Estes Park, CO
- 4.2 miClatworthy Place ↗Estes Park, CO
- 4.4 miCrags Lodge ↗Estes Park, CO
- 4.4 mi
- 4.8 miDunraven Cottage-Camp Dunraven ↗Estes Park, CO
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Comanche Peak Wilderness and Colorado
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Comanche Peak Wilderness?
68,025 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Comanche Peak Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Comanche Peak Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Comanche Peak Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1980.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Comanche Peak 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 Comanche Peak Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 40.585° N, 105.666° W. Rocky Mountain National Park is 11 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Comanche Peak Wilderness right now?
3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Salt Cabin Broadcast Rx at 9 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Comanche Peak Wilderness?
Rocky Mountain National Park (11 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Comanche Peak Wilderness?
The National Register has 37 listings within 15 miles, including Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building and Arrowhead Lodge.
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.