Raggeds Wilderness
Prominent rocky slopes striking skyward to a serrated ridge give Raggeds Wilderness its well-deserved name. Ragged Mountain in the northern half rises to 12,094 feet. Anthracite Creek passes through the deep Dark Canyon in the heart of a Wilderness that contains numerous other creeks and small lakes. Oh-Be-Joyful Pass (11,740 feet), with the long sweep of Oh-Be-Joyful Creek Valley below it, was added to the Wilderness area in 1993. You'll have to ford the Slate River to access the seven miles of the Oh-Be-Joyful Pass Trail. About 50 miles of trail are located in this Wilderness. A dense coniferous forest covers the creek bottoms.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 64,307 acres |
| Designated | 1980, by Congress |
| Center point | 38.98° N, 107.19° 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 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 backpacking. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 4 miAnthracite Pass TH #1969 ↗Backpacking
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
15 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 77 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Canyon ↗ | 13.6 | |
| Daisy Pass ↗ | 10.3 | |
| Munsey Ruby Stock Driveway ↗ | 6.9 | |
| North Anthracite ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Silver Basin ↗ | 5.9 | |
| Yule Pass ↗ | 5.4 | |
| Ruby Anthracite ↗ | 4.9 | |
| Deep Creek Lake | 4.4 | |
| Oh-Be-Joyful Pass | 4.2 | |
| Raspberry Creek | 3.9 |
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
- PrescribedMain Mesa Piles Rx
38 mi from the center point · 366 acres
- WildfireWillow
44 mi from the center point · 7,359 acres · 92% contained
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
- 0.3 miSt. Paul's Church ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miMarble High School ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miMarble Jailhouse ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miMarble Town Hall ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miMarble City State Bank Building ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miParry, William D., House ↗Marble, CO
- 0.4 miHaxby House ↗Marble, CO
- 2.5 miCrystal Mill ↗Crystal, 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 Raggeds Wilderness?
64,307 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Raggeds Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Raggeds Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Raggeds Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1980.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Raggeds 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 Raggeds Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.980° N, 107.187° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Raggeds Wilderness right now?
2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Main Mesa Piles Rx at 38 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Raggeds Wilderness?
The National Register has 15 listings within 15 miles, including St. Paul's Church and Marble High School.
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.