Pike and San Isabel National Forests

This landscape offers a variety of ecosystems rich in history, geology, scenery, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities.

Photo credit: USDA Forest Service

The Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) covers three million acres. PSICC is a busy urban national forest that has the Front Range and the majority of fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado, yet also contains the wide-open grasslands of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. Over 60 percent of the water used by metropolitan area of Denver, CO originates from the South Platte River. The forest offers a wealth of experiences from historic cabin rentals to the birthplace of developed recreation on the San Carlos Ranger District. The Comanche Ranger District lays claim to the internationally known dinosaur trackway at Picket Wire Canyonlands and continues to excite researchers and visitors alike with new discoveries. With nine Wilderness areas, numerous Scenic Byways and a full spectrum of outdoor opportunities, it is no wonder that the PSICC ranks third highest in the nation for recreational visits at national forests.

www.fs.usda.gov/psicc

Wilderness Areas/Wild & Scenic Rivers

Buffalo Peaks Wilderness - The dark double summits of Buffalo Peaks are two highly eroded volcanic mountains that were active some 28 million years ago.

Buffalo Peaks Wilderness - The dark double summits of Buffalo Peaks are two highly eroded volcanic mountains that were active some 28 million years ago.

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness - The beauty of this place and its ease of access ensure torrents of visitors, especially on weekends.

Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness - About two-thirds of the area is forested, and as you hike along, you'll pass quickly from dry oakbrush and ponderosa pine country through aspen, fir, and spruce, and on to alpine tundra.

Holy Cross Wilderness - The area is characterized by rugged ridgelines and glacier-carved valleys complete with spruce-fir forests, cascading streams and dozens of lakes.

Lost Creek Wilderness - The trail system traverses tree-lined mountain parks, fascinating rounded granite domes, and rare granite arches.

Mount Evans Wilderness - The Wilderness contains small regions of arctic tundra, rare south of the Arctic Circle.

Mount Massive Wilderness - Mount Massive, Colorado's second highest peak, and other mountains of the Sawatch Range have two distinctive characteristics: great height, and a huge, sloping bulk that makes them relatively easy to climb.

Sangre de Cristo Wilderness - The long and narrow Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is the state's third largest. Most of the 180 miles of trails end at alpine lakes set against virtually unclimbable walls.

Spanish Peaks Wilderness - The Peaks have traditional and religious significance to American Indian tribes including the Comanche and Ute.

Invasive Species