Powderhorn Wilderness
In this Wilderness, the northern verge of the San Juan Mountains reaches out into the Gunnison Basin, a dry land of sagebrush meadows dotted with fish-filled lakes, including Powderhorn Lakes. Scoured by glaciation, the Calf Creek and Cannibal Plateaus are said to be the largest unbroken expanses of alpine tundra in the Lower 48, and the feeling of sheer vastness unparalleled in Colorado. Cannibal Plateau was named for Colorado's famous man-eater, Alfred Packer, who supposedly dined on five friends while lost near here during the winter of 1874.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 62,742 acres |
| Designated | 1993, by Congress |
| Center point | 38.12° N, 107.15° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14) |
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
1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 5 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 2 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 1 trailhead, 1 campground. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 6 miBrush Creek Winter Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 5 miSpruce Campground - Gunnison RD ↗Campground · May 23 to Oct. 1 (weather dependent)
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
8 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 31 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Calf Creek Plateau ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Canyon Infierno ↗ | 6.3 | |
| Canyon Infierno ↗ | 6.3 | |
| North Calf Creek | 3.9 | |
| North Calf Creek | 3.9 | |
| Powderhorn Park | 1.5 | |
| Powderhorn Park | 1.5 | |
| Devils Canyon | 0.9 |
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
- WildfireElk
11 mi from the center point · 7,257 acres · 90% contained
- PrescribedEast Bench Piles Rx
25 mi from the center point · 5 acres
- WildfireGold Mountain
29 mi from the center point · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
- PrescribedUpd Baldy Mountain Piles Rx
30 mi from the center point · 120 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
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 Powderhorn Wilderness?
62,742 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Powderhorn Wilderness?
Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service share management. The Bureau of Land Management portion is the largest in the wilderness record.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Powderhorn Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Powderhorn Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1993.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Powderhorn 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 Powderhorn Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.121° N, 107.149° W. Curecanti National Recreation Area is 19 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Powderhorn Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Elk at 11 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Powderhorn Wilderness?
Curecanti National Recreation Area (19 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
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.