Mount Zirkel Wilderness
The Mount Zirkel Wilderness lies within the Routt National Forest in northwestern Colorado. It was one of the original areas protected under the 1964 Wilderness Act and has since been expanded twice to its present size of 160,648 acres. The Wilderness straddles the Continental Divide in the Park Range and the Sierra Madre and offers a diversity of ecosystems from sagebrush meadows in the lower areas, through pine and spruce/fir forests and on up to alpine tundra. It contains the rugged peaks of the Sawtooth Range and the headwaters of the Elk, Encampment and North Platte rivers.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 160,309 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 40.77° N, 106.70° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 20) |
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.
Where to camp
None of the 11 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.
- 5 miKatherine Trailhead ↗Day hiking
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
42 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 291 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming Trail ↗ | 61.8 | |
| Grizzley-Helena ↗ | 30 | |
| Swamp Park ↗ | 20.6 | |
| Main Fork ↗ | 18.8 | |
| Manzanares ↗ | 10.5 | |
| Bear Creek ↗ | 9.4 | |
| Seven Lakes ↗ | 9.4 | |
| Rainbow Lakes ↗ | 8.8 | |
| Trail Creek ↗ | 8.4 | |
| Buffalo Ridge ↗ | 8.1 |
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.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 1.5 miHog Park Guard Station ↗Cowdry, CO
- 7.2 miCrawford House ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
- 7.2 miSteamboat Apartments ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
- 7.3 miSummit Creek Ranger Station ↗Columbine, CO
- 7.3 miSteamboat Springs Depot ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
- 7.3 miChamber of Commerce Building ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
- 7.5 miMaxwell Building ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
- 7.5 miRoutt County National Bank Building ↗Steamboat Springs, CO
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Colorado
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Mount Zirkel Wilderness?
160,309 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Mount Zirkel Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Mount Zirkel Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Mount Zirkel Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Mount Zirkel 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 Mount Zirkel Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 40.769° N, 106.702° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Mount Zirkel Wilderness?
The National Register has 14 listings within 15 miles, including Hog Park Guard Station and Crawford House.
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.