Uncompahgre Wilderness
Uncompahgre Wilderness gets its name from a Ute Indian word meaning, in one translation, "dirty water". Formerly known as Big Blue Wilderness Area, the name changed came along with the addition of BLM land, including the rolling gentle tundra of American Flats, to the south. This Wilderness is located in the north-central region of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. There are two fourteeners and at least twenty-five thirteen thousand foot peaks in the Uncompahgre Wilderness. Big Blue Creek flows off Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 feet) in this rough and majestic section of the San Juan Mountains.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 102,209 acres |
| Designated | 1980, by Congress |
| Center point | 38.10° N, 107.49° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 28) |
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 10 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.
- 11 miIndependence Gulch #234 ↗Day hiking
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
41 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 219 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge Stock Driveway ↗ | 25.1 | |
| Cow Creek ↗ | 15.2 | |
| Little Elk ↗ | 12.1 | |
| Big Blue Creek ↗ | 11.4 | |
| East Fork ↗ | 10.9 | |
| Crystal Lake ↗ | 10.4 | |
| Little Cimarron ↗ | 9.8 | |
| Wetterhorn Basin ↗ | 9.8 | |
| Fall Creek ↗ | 8.5 | |
| Horsethief ↗ | 8.5 |
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
7 mi from the center point · 7,257 acres · 90% contained
- PrescribedUpd Baldy Mountain Piles Rx
11 mi from the center point · 120 acres
- WildfireGold Mountain
11 mi from the center point · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
- PrescribedEast Bench Piles Rx
38 mi from the center point · 5 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
- 10.8 miShenandoah--Dives Mill ↗National Historic Landmark
- 11.7 miOld Bank of Telluride Building ↗National Historic Landmark
- 1 miRose Lime Kiln ↗Lake City, CO
- 1.9 miJackson, George, House ↗Ridgway, CO
- 2 miOuray City Hall and Walsh Library ↗Ouray, CO
- 2.1 miBeaumont Hotel ↗Ouray, CO
- 8.8 miFort Peabody ↗Telluride, CO
- 10.7 miSmuggler-Union Hydroelectric Power Plant ↗Telluride, 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 Uncompahgre Wilderness?
102,209 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Uncompahgre 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 Uncompahgre Wilderness in?
Colorado.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Uncompahgre Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1980.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Uncompahgre 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 Uncompahgre Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.100° N, 107.488° 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 Uncompahgre Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Elk at 7 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Uncompahgre Wilderness?
Curecanti National Recreation Area (19 mi) and Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Uncompahgre Wilderness?
The National Register has 10 listings within 15 miles, including Shenandoah--Dives Mill and Old Bank of Telluride Building.
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.