Welcome to the . . .

Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands

The Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands covers nearly three million acres from western Kansas and Colorado's highest mountain peaks along the Continental Divide. This landscape offers a variety of ecosystems rich in history, geology, scenery, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities.

Bear and Blue Lake Campground Hazards

Wind storms have blown down a wide swath of trees in and around Bear Lake Campground and Blue Lake Campground making the area very dangerous for National Forest visitors. Until further notice, both campgrounds, Bear Lake, all Forest Service lands bordered by Forest Service Road 422 beginning and ending at the Indian Trail/Bear Lake Trailhead, and Forest Service Roads 413, 422, 436, including spurs will be closed for the safety of the public. Forest Service 422 from Highway 12 to the Blue Lake fishing parking lot is open and Blue Lake is open to fishing.

Rock Slide on Palmer Trail - Pikes Peak Ranger District

Over Memorial Day weekend there was a rockslide near Colorado Springs on a popular hiking trail known as the Section 16 Trail (also known as the National Forest System Trail 775 or the Palmer Trail). The City of Colorado Springs closed the trail at each trail head for public safety and it will remain closed until the trail is made safe again. We are in the process of having the area evaluated and making a plan for next steps, which may take some time. The bridge on this trail was destroyed and there are large, downed trees across the trail. Know that there a several more, large boulders at the top of the rockslide that still have the potential to fall and seriously injure people. We ask that people respect the barriers closing the trail. Stay tuned for updates.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS AND FOREST ORDERS

A list of Forest Orders that includes motor vehicle use maps, fire restrictions, closures, and other restricted activities by district.

Know Before You Go

Fire Information

The PSICC is one of the priority landscapes for the "Confronting the Wildfire Crisis Strategy". Everything you need to know about the resource work happening from the Front Range to the Grasslands.

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Special Projects

Information about current and proposed projects for watershed restoration, habitat improvement, recreation sites, timber sales, roads and more.

Find A Project
Maps and Publications

Visitor Maps and publications are available at forest offices. For detailed infroamtion, contact the Ranger District you are visiting and ask to speak with one of our visitor information staff.

Dowload A Map Online
Passes and Permits

Recreation, forest products, events, commercial filming and all other permits you may need.

Choose A Permit

Features

Rangeland Specialists Support Healthy Ecosystems

Rangeland management specialists manage vegetation resources across National Forest System lands to serve a multitude of resource needs including providing healthy habitats for wildlife, clean water, and biologically active soils. These specialists also work with ranchers who contribute to local economies through sustainable livestock grazing and ecosystems support. Rangeland management specialists on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands share more about their work in this story.

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Salida Ranger District's First Artist in Residence Program

Last year marked the first of an annual Salida Ranger District Artist in Residence program. The immersive experience, which invited professional artists to spend 14 days in the natural surroundings of the national forest around Salida, Colorado, resulted in photographs, watercolors, wood block prints and paintings on topographical maps that offer viewers the chance to experience public lands in perhaps unexpected ways.

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