Special Places

Wilderness is defined as a portion of land set aside by the 1964 Congressional Wilderness Act that will remain unspoiled for future generations. The Wilderness Act gave the U.S. Forest Service a mandate to manage these special lands so they would be "an enduring resource," one that would remain "unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness." Rio Grande National Forest manages four Wildernesses: La Garita, Sangre de Cristo, South San Juan, and Weminuche Wilderness.

Silver Thread - Colorado's Silver Thread Scenic Byway weaves through two historic districts (Lake City and Creede) and tracts of remote & rugged landscape.  Los Caminos Antiguos - Los Caminos Antiguos ("The Ancient Roads") is the best route to follow through the region of the upper Rio Grande - the northern outpost of sixteenth century Spanish territorial expansion. This byway was designated as a "National Scenic Byway" in February, 2021.

This 17-mile self-guided driving tour loops through Creede’s historic silver mining district and ghost towns. The tour’s first interpretive stop is just north of Creede in Willow Creek Canyon at the juncture of East and West Willow creeks.

Wheeler Geologic Area is part of the La Garita Wilderness, within this area you will find many trails, some nearby peaks over 13,000 ft and amazing views. Located near the old mining town of Creede, Wheeler is accessible by a 7 mile hike or a grueling 14 mile four wheel drive road. Your efforts are rewarded by views of a remarkable geologic formation of moderately coarse volcanic tuff eroded into many different shapes. It is not a short, easy trip. Road is extremely rough: High clearance vehicle or ATV is recommended!

This scenic overlook facility is situated as a stop on the Silverthread Scenic Byway right along State Highway 149. It offers a new restroom, picnic tables, ample paved parking for even larger vehicles, trails to the overlook, safety railings, and interpretive signs. It is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible trail to a high lookout spot.

The RGNF hosts eight ‘14ers,’ peaks above 14,000 ft, all within the Sangre de Cristo range. These include Blanca Peak (14,345), Little Bear Peak (14,037), Humboldt Peak (14,068), Kit Carson Peak (14,167), Challenger Point (14,086), Crestone Peak (14.294), Crestone Needle (14,197), and Ellingwood Point (14,042). Most of these peaks do not have maintained trails to the top and are not for the faint of heart. Most routes to the peaks require route finding, high exposure, and some are technical ascents. Mistakes on these peaks have led to life-threatening situations.

Cumbres Pass reaches an elevation of 10,022 ft and La Manga Pass reaches 10,249 ft as Hwy 17 traverses the southern San Juan Mountains. Both passes are a stop along one of America’s Scenic Byways and crossed by the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Adventure through history in the once thriving mining town of Bonanza. Take County Road LL56 west from Villa Grove. The County maintained gravel road is passable by passenger car through the town, but some of the scenic places beyond will require good tires and high clearance.