Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

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. You'll discover terrain rolling along at around 12,000 feet with views of even higher mountains in the Elk, Sawatch, and San Juan Ranges, broken only by several escarpments that stand especially lovely in the light of the setting sun. Cannibal Plateau was named for Colorado's famous man-eater, Alferd Packer, who supposedly dined on five friends while lost near here during the winter of 1874. Elk and mule deer roam the plateaus and pass through the stands of aspen, pine, spruce, and fir that blanket the lower elevations.

The southern one-fourth of Powderhorn is managed by Gunnison National Forest, and the northern three-fourths by the Bureau of Land Management. About 45 miles of trails access this seldom-visited area. For an easily accessible hike into the backcountry, take the Devil's Lake Trail for 6.5 miles and find a jewel of water set in a treeless alpine meadow high on the plateau.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Powderhorn Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

The Powderhorn Wilderness is located about 230 miles southwest of Denver, about 30 miles south of Gunnison, and about 7 miles northeast of Lake City, Colorado. There are 5 trailheads. Entrances on the north end include the Powderhorn Lakes and the Ten Mile Springs Trailheads. The Devil's Creek Trailhead is on the west side of the area and the Powderhorn Park Trailhead is on the southeast side of the Wilderness. The Brush Creek Trailhead is on the south end of the Wilderness. Visitor Centers and BLM/FS Offices in both Gunnison and Lake City provide maps and directions to these trailheads.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Powderhorn Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

Colorado Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 103-77

Date: August 13, 1993
Acreage: 60,100 acres

Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 - Public Law 103-77 (8/13/1993) Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 103-77 or special provisions for 103-77 or legislative history for 103-77.

General Trip Planning Information

The Powderhorn Wilderness is a fairly popular destination for recreationists. During the summer, most of the use focuses on the Powderhorn Lakes Trail which leads to two scenic lakes. Visitors looking for more solitude should consider access into the area via the other trailheads. During the fall, while hunting use is widespread across the entire area, much of the use is centered in the eastern portion of the Wildeness.

Recreational Opportunities

Recreational opportunities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding, and hunting. The area offers outstanding opportunities for solitude and self reflection. All trails can be used in conjunction with each other to create a beautiful 4 or 5 day trip.

Climate and Special Equipment Needs

Season of use is mid June through November. Summer temperatures usually range from nighttime lows of 40 degrees F to daytime highs of 80 degrees F. Afternoon rain showers are common and often heavy. Map and compass use are good skills to have in this area, especially when hiking on the plateaus. Sunscreen, rain gear, and plenty of drinking water are recommended.

Safety and Current Conditions

Care should be taken to avoid ridgetops during rain showers because of lightning strikes. Take your time, enjoy the scenery and avoid over-exertion. Be sure someone knows where you are going and when you plan to return.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.