Wheeler Geologic Area was once Colorado's first national monument

East of Creede, hidden in the high country, is a strange field of spires and hoodoos carved from soft volcanic ash. This is the Wheeler Geologic Area, and its history is as unusual as its shape. In 1908 it was set aside as Colorado’s first national monument. The name honors George M. Wheeler, who led a government survey of this part of the West in the 1870s.

Monument status did not last. The place is hard to reach, and few people made the trip. Over the following decades the protection was changed, and the land became a geologic area within the Rio Grande National Forest rather than a national monument. Today it sits inside the La Garita Wilderness.

The remoteness that ended its monument days is still the main fact about visiting. The Forest Service describes the access as a long, rough four-wheel-drive road or a hike of several miles, open only in the warm months and among the last routes to clear of snow. This is a full-day effort, not a quick roadside stop.

For the founding story and current rules, the Colorado Encyclopedia covers the monument history and the Rio Grande National Forest covers access and the wilderness it now belongs to.