White River National Forest

White River National Forest
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)

The Maroon Bells in White River National Forest
Map showing the location of White River National Forest
Location Colorado, USA
Nearest city Glenwood Springs, CO
Coordinates 39°35′20″N 105°38′35″W / 39.589°N 105.643°W / 39.589; -105.643Coordinates: 39°35′20″N 105°38′35″W / 39.589°N 105.643°W / 39.589; -105.643
Area 2,285,970 acres (9,251.0 km2)
Established June 28, 1902
Governing body U.S. Forest Service
USFS
The forest highlighted in red in a map of Colorado.

White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twelve ski areas within its boundaries.

The forest contains 2,285,970 acres (3,571.8 sq mi, or 9,250.99 km²). In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Eagle, Pitkin, Garfield, Summit, Rio Blanco, Mesa, Gunnison, Routt, Moffat counties.[1]

The White River national forest provides significant habitat for deer, elk, mountain sheep, mountain goat, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, lynx, moose, raptors, waterfowl, trout and many other species of wildlife.

The forest contains 1,900 mi. (3,058 km) of forest system roads, 2,500 mi (4,023 km) of trails, and the Dillon, Green Mountain, Ruedi, and Homestake reservoirs.

The forest is managed from Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs. There are local ranger district offices in Aspen, Carbondale, Eagle, Meeker, Minturn, Rifle, and Silverthorne.[2]

The Dillon Ranger district, run out of Silverthorne, was transferred from the Arapahoe National Forest to the White River National Forest in 1998[3]

Wilderness areas

There are eight officially designated wilderness areas lying within White River National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Five of them extend into neighboring National Forests (as indicated).

Ski areas

The following ski areas are located inside the forest:

Fourteeners

There are ten peaks with an elevation higher than 14,000 ft (4,267m), colloquially known as 14ers in the forest:

The following two peaks are often included in lists of the Colorado fourteeners, but do not pass the 300 ft. topograhic prominence metric commonly used by U.S. Mountaineers:

See also

References

"White River has 70 Streams and 110 lakes for fish," June 10, 1937. (Colorado Historic Collection) Aspen Daily Times. "Recreation in the Forest ." March 1, 1945 (Colorado Historic Collection)

Axelton, John . Big Game Hunters Guide to Colorado. second ed. : Wilderness Adventures Press, 2008. (Google Books)

Forest Plan Focus, White River National Forest, August 1997. S.l.: s.n., 1997. (Google Books) Graves, Henry S.. Vacation days in Colorado's national forests. Washington: G.P.O., 1919.(Google Books)

N.p., n.d. Web. <www.nps.gov2Fthro2Fhistoryculture2Ftheodore-roosevelt-quotes.htm>.

External links

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