La Garita Wilderness
La Garita means "the lookout" in Spanish, and this Wilderness amply deserves the name. From the summit of this Wilderness's single fourteener (14,014-foot San Luis Peak), climbers can gaze across the upper Rio Grande Valley and down the long stretch of the San Luis Valley. About 35 miles of the Continental Divide lie well above a sprawling forestland that provides ideal habitats for huge numbers of elk and mule deer, though the animals may winter on the northern slopes when hard winds scour off the snow cover. On the southern slopes in Wason Park and Silver Park, added in 1993, you'll find a surprising ancient forest of towering spruce and fir.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 126,480 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.93° N, 106.78° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16) |
Boundary map
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
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 8 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.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 day hiking. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 7 miStewart Creek #470 ↗Day hiking · June
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
30 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 250 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| La Garita SD ↗ | 57.1 | |
| Skyline ↗ | 34.7 | |
| Cebolla ↗ | 22.1 | |
| Inspiration/Wason ↗ | 12.5 | |
| Bonholder ↗ | 10.3 | |
| Wheeler ↗ | 10.1 | |
| Machin Basin ↗ | 9.2 | |
| Mineral Creek ↗ | 8.7 | |
| Middle Fork ↗ | 8.4 | |
| Farmers Creek ↗ | 7.2 |
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
- PrescribedEast Bench Piles Rx
10 mi from the center point · 5 acres
- PrescribedWolf Creek Piles Rx
32 mi from the center point · 2 acres
- PrescribedSargents Mesa Piles Rx
33 mi from the center point · 116 acres
- PrescribedBoogie Piles Rx
33 mi from the center point · 171 acres
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
- 3.2 miWagon Wheel Gap Railroad Station ↗Creede, CO
- 3.6 miZang’s Hotel and Annex ↗Creede, CO
- 8.3 miSevenmile Bridge ↗Creede, CO
- 12.2 miDenver & Rio Grande Railroad South Fork Water Tank ↗South Fork, CO
- 12.4 miSpruce Lodge ↗South Fork, CO
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.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is La Garita Wilderness?
126,480 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages La Garita Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is La Garita Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was La Garita Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at La Garita 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 La Garita Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.933° N, 106.778° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near La Garita Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest East Bench Piles Rx at 10 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near La Garita Wilderness?
The National Register has 5 listings within 15 miles, including Wagon Wheel Gap Railroad Station and Zang’s Hotel and Annex.
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.