The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is close to Costilla County, not in it

Costilla County’s northwest corner reaches toward the country around Blanca Peak, one of Colorado’s best-known mountains. Just beyond that corner, the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness runs north for many miles along the range. Congress set it aside in 1993. The wilderness itself sits in neighboring counties, on the national forest side of the crest, not inside Costilla County — but it is close enough that visitors staying near Fort Garland or San Luis often head there to hike.

If you go, know that wilderness is held to a higher standard than ordinary national forest. Motors and wheeled vehicles, including bikes, are generally not allowed. The Forest Service also limits group size and restricts camping and campfires close to streams and lakes, with rules for dogs, horses, and stock. The simple version: pack out what you pack in, keep camps and fires back from water, keep groups small, and leave the chainsaw and the bike at home.

Costilla County’s own mountain edge, the Culebra Range to the east, is a different story. Much of that high country is private land, not public forest, so you cannot assume open access there the way you can on national forest land.

Before a trip into the high country near here, read the current wilderness rules and any special orders on the Rio Grande National Forest’s pages for the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.