La Garita Wilderness, National Wilderness Area in Hinsdale, Mineral, and Saguache Counties, Colorado, United States.
La Garita Wilderness is a large protected area in the mountains of southern Colorado spanning over 120,000 acres of varied landscapes. It contains high peaks, deep valleys, and open alpine meadows distributed across three counties.
This area was designated as protected wilderness by the US Congress in 1964 as part of a national conservation program. That designation has remained in place to preserve the mountain landscape.
The name is Spanish: "la garita" means a small sentry box or watchtower, and the La Garita Mountains and their eponymous 13,710-foot La Garita Peak carry it. The wilderness lies in the southern Colorado counties of Gunnison, Rio Grande, Hinsdale, Mineral and Saguache, and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Access is through Forest Road 787 from Saguache Park, with parking available at the southern trailhead. Visitors should be prepared for high altitude conditions and sudden weather changes in the upper elevations.
The Wheeler Geologic Area within this wilderness displays volcanic ash formations that have eroded into towers and domes over time. These unusual geological shapes developed through ancient natural processes.
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