Colorado National Forests | Public, federal land in CO

View from Pikes Peak Barr Trail. Photo: Miguel Vieira

Colorado’s vast national forests are probably its biggest asset. They preserve, protect and promote the responsible use of millions of acres of public land in this state only. Read our federal lands blog or view all federal lands.

National forests in Colorado

Eleven national forests cover millions of acres throughout the Rocky Mountains. They are spread across the state, west of the plains. Year round outdoor recreation can be found in these free, federal lands, from fishing and camping, to snowmobiling and Nordic skiing.

Arapaho near Golden	Grand Mesa near Collbran	Gunnison near Gunnison
Pike near Woodland Park	Rio Grande near La Jara	Roosevelt near Bellvue
Routt near Steamboat Springs	San Isabel near Salida	San Juan near Bayfield
Uncompahgre near Delta	White River near Minturn

Main attractions to visit

Autumn aspen grove in Pike National Forest. Photo: Christopher Rosenberger

Each of the eleven nation forests in Colorado are unique, with similar, yet different landscapes and ecosystems. Whether you’re out west exploring the mesa tops or in the San Juans marveling at the steepest, you’ll love exploring these national forest highlights:

in Arapaho National Forest

Arapaho NRA Granby	Berthoud Pass Winter Park	Echo Lake Evergreen
Saint Louis Creek Fraser	Stillwater Pass Grand Lake	Vasquez Ridge Winter Park

in Grand Mesa National Forest

Grand Mesa Byway
Collbran

in Gunnison National Forest

Cottonwood Pass – The pass begins just east of Almont, which is north of Gunnison. It winds it’s way over to the San Isabel NF and Buena Vista. Camping is easy to spot on the drive.

Kebler Pass – Stunning seasonal 2WD cruise from Crested Butte to Paonia. Camping, hiking and off-highway-vehicles are commonplace.

Silver Thread Scenic Byway – This stunning highway connects US 50 at Blue Mesa Reservoir with US 160 and South Fork to the south. It passes by Lake City and Creede. The route passes 3 national forests.

Tincup Pass – A gnarly 4×4 pass over the Continental Divide near Pitkin. It connects with Saint Elmo ghost town near Buena Vista, on the other side. A high-clearance 4×4 is required. There is lots of camping around Pitkin.

Waunita Pass – A shorter pass connecting Pitkin with Waunita Hot Springs. Dispersed camping can be found on most of the drive. Other recreation includes biking, hiking, and 4×4/ATV roads. To access, take County Road 887 from Doyleville or go right over the pass from Pitkin. Bowerman is a one shack ghost town on the drive.

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness – One of Colorado’s original national wilderness areas designated in 1964. It contains six of the toughest 14’ers in Colorado to summit. Part of it’s located in the White River National Forest.

in Pike National Forest

Antero Reservoir
Hartsel

Antero Reservoir – Boating and fishing lake located just west of Hartsel.

Rio Grande National Forest

San Juan Skyway – A 233-mile loop of Southwest Colorado passing through three national forests. There’s limitless recreation on the route.

Silver Thread Scenic Byway – This 117-mile highway is hidden away in the southwest of Colorado. Along it’s journey from the Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, south past Lake City and Creede, it passes by natural landmarks, historic districts. Camping is easy to find the whole way. The Rio Grand Recreation Area is located near Creede.

in Roosevelt National Forest

Cache La Poudre-North Park Byway – A 101-mile journey from Fort Collins to the vast valley of North Park, near Walden. Numerous camping, fishing and hiking opportunities along the drive.

Gould – Those there are no business in Gould, there’s a national forest access road and lots to do. Take Co Rd 21 from “downtown” and follow for recreation. Dispersed camping is everywhere and there are two campgrounds, Aspen and Pines a couple miles. Off highway vehicles are the most draw to this remote location. The ghost town of Teller City lies 8 miles back.

West Magnolia – Located two miles south of Nederland, West Magnolia features over twenty free campsites and miles of biking, hiking and horseback trails.

in Routt National Forest

Buffalo Pass – Known locally as Buffs Pass, this dirt road connects Steamboat with Walden. In the summer, 2WD cars can access numerous primitive camping sites on the front side of the pass just out of Steamboat. The pass closes due to snow in the winter, but it’s still accessed for snowshoeing, snowmobiling and backcountry skiing.

Fish Creek Falls – A series of nature trails lead to a remarkable waterfall. It’s open year round, with snowshoeing and ice climbing common in winter.

Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway – A remote and picturesque, 82-mile drive through the Flat Tops Wilderness in NW Colorado. It connects Yampa and Meeker.

Hahns Peak Lake – More secluded and smaller than neighbor Steamboat Lake, Hahns Peak Lake is located north of Steamboat in Clark. Hahns Peak Lake Campground is $10 a day. Free primitive camping can be found in the surrounding Routt N.F.

Rabbit Ears Pass – Named for the rabbit-ear-shaped buttes visible from the top of the pass. Year round people use the pass for it’s great system of biking, hiking, and 4×4 trails. Primitive campsites and campgrounds are easy to find. In the winter, it’s a wonderland for snowmobiles, with lots of deep, dry snow.

in San Isabel National Forest

Clear Creek Canyon – Located on County Road 162, southwest of Buena Vista. A number of sights including Agnes Vaille Falls, Mount Princeton, Saint Elmo ghost town and Tincup Pass (4×4). There is a campground situated near Chalk Lake, but primitive, car camping does not exist in the canyon.

Clear Creek Reservoir – Located between Leadville and Buena Vista on US 24. The reservoir is located very close to the US 24, with a campground. There’s also countless primitive sites along the county road. The ghost town of Winfield lies 12 miles down at the end of the road.

Cottonwood Pass – This scenic highway connects Buena Vista and the San Isabel NF to the east, with the town of Almont (near Gunnison) and the Gunnison NF to the west. Primitive car camping is easy to find.

Independence Pass – A scenic, summer short-cut to Aspen. The drive is 36 miles from Twin Lakes. Camping is easy to find near the pass. Twin Lakes has 3 campgrounds available with 104 campsites (no RV hook-ups or shower facilities).

in San Juan National Forest

McPhee Recreation Area – Public reservoir with boating, fishing, camping and hiking in Dolores.

San Juan Skyway – A 233 mile loop covering Ridgway, Telluride, Cortez, Durango and Ouray.

in Uncompahgre National Forest

San Juan Skyway – Over 200 miles of scenery are passed on this loop between Ridgway, Cortez and Durango.

Silver Thread Scenic Byway – The Uncompahgre National Forest hugs the the west side of this byway near Lake City.

in White River National Forest

Ashcroft Ghost Town by Aspen	Flat Tops Trail Meeker	Flat Tops Wilderness Grand Junction
Independence Ghost Town by Aspen	Independence Pass Aspen	Green Mountain Reservoir Kremmling
Maroon Bells Scenic Aspen	MB-Snowmass Wilderness Aspen