Tag
national forest
20 Porch Notes tagged “national forest,” from counties across Colorado.
Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County
Lake County's fourteeners sit on national forest land with its own rules
Mount Elbert, Mount Massive, and the high country around Leadville are managed by the Forest Service through the Leadville Ranger District.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Clear Creek County
The road up Mount Blue Sky may need a reservation
The scenic byway up Mount Blue Sky from Idaho Springs uses a timed-entry reservation system during the busy season, so a visit takes planning.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gunnison County
Near Crested Butte, forest camping has moved to designated sites
In several drainages around Crested Butte, the national forest now limits camping to designated sites or established campgrounds rather than camp-anywhere dispersed use.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gilpin County
Much of Gilpin County is national forest — and that comes with rules
A large share of Gilpin County is public land, much of it Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest, where dispersed camping and motor use follow ranger-district rules, not a free-for-all.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Boulder County
Brainard Lake needs a reservation to park, not just an early start
Brainard Lake Recreation Area west of Ward uses a paid timed-entry reservation to park inside the gate during its summer season, with day-use options for those on foot or bike.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Delta County
Delta County is ringed by public land, and the rules change with the unit
National forest and BLM lands, including a national conservation area, surround much of Delta County, with a national park nearby, and each manages camping and access under its own rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Jackson County
Around North Park, national forest camping has rules even when it is free
Much of the public land ringing North Park is national forest, where dispersed camping is allowed under Forest Service rules that vary by ranger district.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Ouray County
Most of the high country here is national forest, with its own camping rules
The mountains around Ouray are largely Uncompahgre National Forest land, managed as part of the combined Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, where dispersed camping and motorized travel follow Forest Service rules rather than a camp-anywhere free-for-all.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Clear Creek County
Dispersed camping here has rules and a mix of private land
The Clear Creek Ranger District of the Arapaho National Forest allows dispersed camping under day limits, but it is checkerboarded with private land, so it is on you to know where you are.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Routt County
Mount Zirkel Wilderness is the high, roadless country east of Steamboat
The Mount Zirkel Wilderness in the Park Range is designated wilderness, which means no motors, bikes, or wheeled carts and a set of rules different from regular national forest.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Routt County
On the national forest around Steamboat, dispersed camping has rules
Much of the high country around Routt County is national forest, where free dispersed camping is allowed in places but is not the same as camping anywhere you like.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Park County
A lot of Park County is national forest, and the rules vary by ranger district
Much of Park County's public land falls under the Pike-San Isabel National Forest's South Park Ranger District, where camping and access rules are set locally rather than statewide.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Delta County
The Grand Mesa above Cedaredge holds hundreds of small fishing lakes
The Grand Mesa rises north of Cedaredge in Delta County and is dotted with hundreds of small stream-fed lakes stocked with trout, reached by forest roads off Highway 65.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Teller County
The Crags Trail: Teller County's granite window onto Pikes Peak
A short, family-friendly hike from Crags Campground near Divide threads granite spires below Pikes Peak, and the same trailhead launches the strenuous back route toward the summit.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Grand County
Grand Lake's winter case for "Snowmobiling Capital of Colorado"
When the snow piles up, Grand Lake trades cars for sleds and opens a trail network that runs from town across national forest to the edge of the national park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Routt County
Sarvis Creek Wilderness is a quiet, green, low-elevation corner of Colorado wild
The Sarvis Creek Wilderness southeast of Steamboat is heavily wooded with no alpine tundra, offering peaceful forest hiking and good elk country; plan around beetle-killed trees that can fall without warning.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Grand County
Dispersed camping near Granby follows the forest's vehicle-use map
On the Sulphur Ranger District around Granby and Grand Lake, dispersed camping with a vehicle is allowed only along forest roads where the Motor Vehicle Use Map permits it.
Read note ->History and culture - Grand County
Winter Park Resort began as Denver's city-owned ski hill
Winter Park Resort opened around 1940 as a ski area owned by the City and County of Denver, and much of its ski terrain sits on Arapaho National Forest land in Grand County under a Forest Service permit.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gunnison County
The West Elk Wilderness is remote and closed to bikes and motors
The West Elk Wilderness in the Gunnison National Forest is a large, lightly visited area where, as in all wilderness, bikes and motorized vehicles are not allowed.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Mesa County
The Grand Mesa holds hundreds of lakes for fishing and camping
The forested top of the Grand Mesa is dotted with lakes and reservoirs with national-forest campgrounds, where Colorado Parks and Wildlife sets the fishing rules and the Forest Service runs the campsites.
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