Mount Sneffels Wilderness, Protected wilderness in Ouray and San Miguel Counties, Colorado.

Mount Sneffels Wilderness is a 66.7 km2 (about 16,500-acre) protected area in Ouray and San Miguel counties, Colorado, managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It lies about 5 miles (8 km) west of Ouray and takes in Mt. Sneffels, a fourteener of 14,150 feet (4,310 m) in the San Juan Mountains. Congress designated it in 1980.

Congress designated Mount Sneffels Wilderness in 1980 under the Wilderness Act to preserve its natural state without human intervention. This legal protection shielded the mountain area from development, securing it as a space for unaltered nature.

The name Sneffels is likely an Americanization of the Old Norse Snæfell, meaning 'snow mountain', the same word behind Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula and Snæfellsjökull volcano. The name was given to the 14,150-foot peak that the wilderness surrounds.

The wilderness lies about 5 miles (8 km) west of Ouray, in Ouray and San Miguel counties, and is managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. Trails are few, roughly 15 miles (24 km) of maintained path, so plan routes in advance. Weather at 14,150 feet (4,310 m) on Mount Sneffels changes fast; carry layers and water.

The name Sneffels likely comes from the Old Norse Snæfell, "snow mountain", the same word behind Iceland's Snæfellsjökull volcano and the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The wilderness lies about 5 miles (8 km) west of Ouray, and its highest point, Mount Sneffels, reaches 14,150 feet (4,310 m).