Mount Zirkel Wilderness
The spectacular Mt. Zirkel Wilderness encompasses about 160,000 acres in the Routt National Forests in Colorado. The wilderness is located within the Sawtooth Range north of Steamboat Springs. Elevations within the Wilderness range from 7,000 feet to 12,180 feet atop Mt. Zirkel. The wilderness runs along the Continental Divide for 36 miles. more info
The rugged Mount Zirkel Wilderness area is characterized by beautiful broad valleys and numerous alpine lakes and cirques. Mt. Zirkel's high country offers a 60-mile loop hike through its unspoiled alpine terrain.
The wilderness is accessible from U.S. Highways 40, State Highways 14 and numerous Forest Service Roads including 129 and 60 (out of Steamboat Springs).
Wildlife in the area includes a large Elk herd in addition to Bald Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Marmots, and Bears. The area contains over 150 miles of hiking trails.
Neighboring towns are Steamboat Springs, Walden, and Hahns Peak.
Major rivers flow from countless glacial lakes along this northernmost stretch of Colorado's Continental Divide. Mount Zirkel and its lakes owe their current shape to Pleistocene glaciation 15,000 years ago.
State fish and game managers stock various strains of trout in these lakes, a process which must be repeated on an annual basis. Forest Service managers hope to phase out the stocking of non-native brook and rainbow trout in favor of indigenous cutthroats. According to biologists, it is possible that the hundreds of glacial lakes in Mount Zirkel never supported reproducing fisheries. However, since well over half of all visitors here fish, aerial stocking of these high mountain lakes will likely continue. Because of the great attraction of the lakes, camping is prohibited within a quarter mile of many of them.
Size: 159,935 acres
Elevation: 7,000 to 12,180 feet
Miles of trails: 155
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