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Gunnison National Forest
Gunnison National Forest near Pitkin.

Gunnison National Forest – near Gunnison

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Gunnison National Forest covers a whopping 1,672,136 acres in Central Colorado. It’s consists of a variety of wilderness terrain, covering vast distances of some remote places.

From Gunnison, CO the forest spreads out on both sides offering a tremendous bit of everything. Soak in the fall colors while driving on Kebler Pass in Crested Butte.

Main Attractions

Bowerman Ghost Town

Bowerman, CO Ghost Town – by Pitkin

Sagebrush steppe west of Cochetopa Pass, Colorado

Cochetopa Pass – Saguache-Gunnison

Cottonwood Pass

Cottonwood Pass – Buena Vista-Almont

Cumberland Pass, CO

Cumberland Pass – Pitkin-Tincup

Kebler Pass Crested Butte Colorado

Kebler Pass – Crested Butte-Paonia

La Garita Wilderness Forest Road 787 Colorado

La Garita Wilderness – near Monte Vista

Lake Irwin, Colorado

Lake Irwin – Crested Butte

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness – near Aspen

Marshall Pass, Colorado

Marshall Pass – Poncha Springs-Sargents

McClure Pass Summit Sign Colorado

McClure Pass – Redstone-Somerset

Monarch Pass, CO

Monarch Pass – Poncha Springs-Sargents

View from North Pass, Colorado

North Pass – Saguache-Gunnison

Powderhorn Wilderness Colorado Sunset

Powderhorn Wilderness – near Gunnison

Raggeds National Wilderness Area Colorado

Raggeds Wilderness – near Crested Butte

Schofield Pass, Colorado

Schofield Pass – Marble-Crested Butte

Silver Thread Scenic Byway

Silver Thread Byway – Lake City-Creede

Slumgullion Pass, CO

Slumgullion Pass – Lake City-Creede

Taylor Park Reservoir Gunnison County Colorado

Taylor Park Reservoir – Almont

Image of the Taylor River with mountains in the background in Colorado

Taylor River – near Almont

Taylor River Whitewater Rafting

Taylor River Whitewater Rafting – Almont

Tincup Pass Colorado

Tincup Pass – Nathrop-Almont

Waunita Pass Colorado

Waunita Pass – Pitkin

West Elk Loop National Scenic Byway Colorado

West Elk Loop Byway – Carbondale-Gunnison-Hotchkiss

Activities: Biking, Boating, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting, Picnicking, OHV, Scenic Drives, Winter Rec – Cross Country Skiing, Snowmobiling, Snowshoeing

Camping – Countless Forest Service-managed campgrounds and free dispersed camping options exist.

  • Read about the camping near Crested Butte and Kebler Pass.
  • Read about the camping near Almont and Taylor Park Reservoir.
  • Read about the camping near Gunnison and Blue Mesa Reservoir.
  • Read about the camping near Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford.

Scenic Drives – There are a slew of scenic drives within the Gunnison National Forest. Cottonwood Pass 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. From there you can continue north onto Kebler Pass, a stunning seasonal 2WD cruise from Crested Butte to Paonia. Camping, hiking and off-highway-vehicles are commonplace.

Or head south to Gunnison to drive the 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.

Those with high clearance four wheel drive should consider the notorious Tincup Pass. It’s 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. There is lots of camping around Pitkin. An easier 4WD road is Waunita Pass. It’s 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.

Wilderness Areas – The Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness is 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.

National Forests Grasslands Map
Map of 11 national forests and 2 grasslands.
Dispersed camping on Co Rd 887 north of Doyleville.
Campsite overlooks the Hot Springs Reservoir.
Another primitive site closer to the lake.
Fishing was not so great, but who knows.
Hot Springs Res is just before Waunita Hot Springs Ranch.
Waunita Pass connects Co Rd 887 with Pitkin on the other side.
Waunita Pass summit. Camping is all over.
Driving south from Pitkin on Co Rd 76.

Details

Nearby Towns:

  • Crawford
  • Crested Butte
  • Gunnison
  • Lake City
  • Paonia
  • Pitkin
  • Tincup

Map: Gunnison N.F. (shown in dark green) (.png)

Motor Vehicle Use Maps: Large, PDF’s from the USFS. They show forest service roads and where dispersed camping is permitted.

  • Panoia – Paonia, Crawford
  • Gunnison – North – Crested Butte
  • Gunnison – South – Almont, Pitkin, Gunnison, Lake City​

Gunnison Campgrounds: Reservations

Website: fs.usda.gov/gmug

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