Mount Sneffels Wilderness

Mount Sneffels Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Mount Sneffels
Location	Ouray / San Miguel counties, Colorado, USA
Nearest city	Ouray, CO
Coordinates	38°0′35″N 107°51′41″W / 38.00972°N 107.86139°WCoordinates: 38°0′35″N 107°51′41″W / 38.00972°N 107.86139°W[1]
Area	16,566 acres (67.04 km^2)
Established	January 1, 1980
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

The Mount Sneffels Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the town of Ouray. The area is named for Mt. Sneffels, which at 14,150 feet (4,310 m) is a prominent fourteener in the San Juan Mountains. The word "Sneffels" is likely an Americanization of the Old Norse word for Snæfell "snow mountain," which is also the namesake of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Snæfellsjökull volcano in Iceland.^[2][3][4]

Colorado with Mount Sneffels Wilderness in red highlighted

Panorama of the Sneffels sub range of the San Juan Mountains, photographed from Dallas Divide pass. Most of these peaks are within the Sneffels Wilderness.

References

1. "Mount Sneffels Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
2. "Mount Sneffels Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
3. "Wilderness Areas". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
4. "Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area". Colorado Wilderness. Retrieved August 12, 2012.